Zach Brewster-Geisz has created a rather original take on this perennial favorite. He also well represents the Indonesian clown that gets to update his audience with snatches of popular music, social commentary, and a kind of direct address to the audience. But Brewster-Geisz also wows us with his live simplicity, how with two sock arms and a headband with ears and a mouthful of teeth can make this rubber-faced actor become perfectly asinine.
Perhaps because of the power of the shadow play theme, the other action comes across with somewhat less distinction. Rachel Viele as Helena seems to lead the pack of lovers with her knowledge of breathing and delivering verse, but Jenna Berk as Hermia, Danny Cackley as Lysander and Robert Pike as Demetrius all find moments to create a respectable quartet.
There is certainly ample roughhouse in the famous Act II, Scene 2 to entertain us all. They double up as the fairies and do a lovely job of singing. Physically, they make an imposing pair, though for the kind of poetry in the writing of these characters, pleasure comes from more seasoned voices. Designer Debra Kim Sivigny has made great use of the intimate performing space of Gunston Two by maximizing the corridors for lots of running around and still giving focus to six panels which provide multiple screens for the exquisite shadow puppetry work.
Music director James Bigbee Garver has created a nice sound world for this piece. Perhaps it was first night nerves, but the ensemble seemed to be pushing for an unnecessarily broad comedic style when in fact Shakespeare has written something where often less can be more. O hell! I see you all are bent To set against me for your merriment. If you were civil and knew courtesy, You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do, But you must join in souls to mock me too? If you were men, as men you are in show, You would not use a gentle lady so, To vow and swear and superpraise my parts, When, I am sure, you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals and love Hermia, And now both rivals to mock Helena. Be not so, For you love Hermia; this you know I know. And yours of Helena to me bequeath, Whom I do love and will do till my death. I will none. My heart to her but as guest-wise sojourned, And now to Helen is it home returned, There to remain.
Look where thy love comes. Yonder is thy dear. Lysander and Demetrius bicker over who should get Helena until Demetrius announces that Hermia is approaching. HERMIA , to Lysander Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes; Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense, It pays the hearing double recompense. Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found; Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound.
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so? Hermia can't see anything in the dark woods, but she follows Lysander's voice. Once she arrives, she asks Lysander why he left her alone in the woods while she was sleeping.
Could not this make thee know The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so? Lysander declares that he no longer loves Hermia and that his heart belongs to Helena. He figured that leaving Hermia sleeping alone in the woods in the middle of the night would send a clear enough message that he hates her.
Now I perceive they have conjoined all three To fashion this false sport in spite of me. We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, Have with our needles created both one flower, Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, Both warbling of one song, both in one key, As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds Had been incorporate.
And will you rent our ancient love asunder, To join with men in scorning your poor friend? Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it, Though I alone do feel the injury. Helena thinks that Hermia is in on some big, elaborate joke designed to make her look silly. She accuses Hermia of betraying the girls' long friendship. They even used to embroider together! The nerve!
It seems that you scorn me. Hermia is shocked to hear that Helena thinks she's been betrayed—Hermia actually thinks Helena must be the one doing the teasing and betraying. HELENA Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn, To follow me and praise my eyes and face, And made your other love, Demetrius, Who even but now did spurn me with his foot, To call me goddess, nymph, divine and rare, Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this To her he hates? And wherefore doth Lysander Deny your love so rich within his soul And tender me, forsooth, affection, But by your setting on, by your consent?
What though I be not so in grace as you, So hung upon with love, so fortunate, But miserable most, to love unloved? This you should pity rather than despise. Persever, counterfeit sad looks, Make mouths upon me when I turn my back, Wink each at other, hold the sweet jest up. This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled. But fare you well.
The ex-friends continue to argue, and Helena throws up her hands and tells them they can go ahead and keep up the act. Helena assumes they mean to "chronicle" it, the Elizabethan equivalent of putting it up on Facebook, so that they can all laugh about it later. She doesn't want to stick around just to be teased—she'd rather die.
Hear my excuse, My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena. Hearing Helena's plan to take off, Lysander begs her to stay, which causes Hermia to scold him because she thinks he's teasing Helena.
By my life, I do. I swear by that which I will lose for thee, To prove him false that says I love thee not. Demetrius tells Lysander to listen to his girlfriend Hermia. If he doesn't, Demetrius will make him. Then the two argue over which of them loves Helena more until Lysander challenges Demetrius to a fight. Hermia asks Lysander what this is all about, and he makes his feelings for her clear by hitting her with a racial slur.
To Lysander. Take on as you would follow, But yet come not. You are a tame man, go! Vile thing, let loose, Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent. Out, tawny Tartar, out! O, hated potion, hence! For I perceive A weak bond holds you. Hermia hangs onto Lysander, all confused, as he calls her a string of nasty things, including a "Tartar" which is a reference to the Mongolian people of Central Asia, not the gross stuff that builds up on your teeth.
All the while Demetrius accuses Lysander of being a coward, pretending to be held back by Hermia instead of fighting. Should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead? Hate me? O me, what news, my love? Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander? Since night you loved me; yet since night you left me. Why, then, you left me—O, the gods forbid! Therefore be out of hope, of question, of doubt. Lysander asks what he has to do to prove he no longer loves Hermia, kill her?
He backs off that quickly, though, saying that even though he hates her, he wouldn't hurt her. Hermia is dumbfounded, but when Lysander again tells her that he hates her and loves Helena, she finally gets it. To Helena. You juggler, you cankerblossom, You thief of love! Instead of turning on the man who scorns her, Hermia turns on the woman he's chosen over her, the woman who has been her closest friend since childhood.
Hermia accuses Helena of stealing Lysander. Act III Oberon, now in possession of the disputed boy, cures Tytania's enchantment and orders Puck to release the ass' head as Bottom wakes, stretches and assumes the evening's events to be part of a dream. At the break of day Theseus, Hippolyta and their train come to the wood to hunt and enjoy their wedding festivities. Their horns awaken the lovers who find themselves happily paired at last. When the Duke learns that Demetrius, now in love with Helena, willingly gives up Hermia to Lysander, he is so pleased that he invites the lovers to be married in the same ceremony with himself and Hippolyta.
The rustic's play is chosen to be performed. When midnight strikes, Theseus declares that it is time for bed. Oberon, Tytania, the fairies and Puck appear and give their blessing.
The music of A Midsummer Night's Dream is characterized by utterly distinctive sound-worlds, as Britten uses his gift for orchestration to achieve just the right effect for each group of characters.
Harps, celesta, percussion and harpsichord are used to accompany the mysterious and sinister world of the fairies; strings and woodwind are associated with the lovers; bassoon and low brass define the bumbling rustics. The vocal score is one of Britten's richest, with the fairies much spikier than might be expected, and Tytania's coloratura and Oberon's counter-tenor sounding suitably other-worldly. A Midsummer Night's Dream.
And that there are some cultures that believe every piece of organic material has within it the spirit of the life it used to have. That led us to imagine a world in which objects were yearning to come alive. The obvious thing to do in this Dream would have been to use puppets to demarcate the twin worlds of the play: to have all the fairies played by puppets, and all the humans by actors or vice versa. But this Dream will do nothing so simple. A puppet can appear at any moment and always manipulated by an actor rather than a professional puppeteer — another distinction between this production and War Horse.
And not only can any mundane object be made to perform in a puppet-like way, the play's characters can also be summoned up directly by the actors, or by their puppet avatars. When I watch a scene between Titania and Oberon, at times the actors address each other face to face; at others, via the giant wooden masks each holds aloft the actor playing Oberon has a giant jointed arm and hand, too, which Kohler says is also inspired by Japanese puppetry.
All of this is a huge challenge for the actors, who have had to learn to become puppeteers on top of the normal job of playing Shakespeare.
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