By Alayna Een
Shakespeare is popular fare among community acting companies, and while there are dozens of meritorious plays to choose from, I have found that Midsummer makes its way to the stage more often than most. I’ve seen it about once a year almost without trying, and while I can’t say whether I’m more drawn to its whimsy, nonviolence, or comedy, I know one thing for certain: Midsummer sure is a lot of fun. It has all the dramatic themes of unrequited love, familial power struggles, betrayed trust, narcissism, and overcoming extreme obstacles while pulling out all the stops on physical and situational comedy.
The Angelus Theatre, with its sky painted full of evening stars, may just be one of the best places to slip into A Midsummer a Night’s Dream, and the two-sided panel sets that flank the stage easily transform the stage from the palace’s 1920s art deco to the groovy 1970s grove full of fairy mischief and magic (Garion Jorgensen, set design). Elevating these transitions is the stylistic music, crafted by Hannah Maurine Tolman, Ryan Tolman, and Mitch Frei. The crisp clothing of the castle occupants contrasts with the outfits of the fun, free-spirited sprites of the forest, whose colorful and sparkling costumes (Venus Morgan, costume design; Jordan Goheen, hair and makeup) combine flowerchild and fay. The looks for Titania and Oberon, the king and queen of fairyland, are a special achievement. Director Justin Stockett leans into the wild comedy and contrast of it all, empowering individual actors to find their stride with the characters and creating an entertaining and impressive production.
The two sets of young—and sometimes reluctant—lovers are Amanda Gould (Helena) and Seth Johnson (Demetrius), Brandon Pack (Lysander) and Gabi Pack (Hermia). Gould’s spurned Helena loudly laments her lot in both changes of fortune and easily gets the audience’s pity, which makes her ultimate happiness all the sweeter. Johnson’s Demetrius has a streak of cowardice and sentimentality that comes out in the woods, making the merry chase with Lysander much more comical and rendering the character more likable than I’ve seen in most other performances. Gabi and Brandon Pack are a dynamic duo, in life and on the stage, and it’s always a pleasure to see them perform. Gabi Pack’s Hermia is sincere and determined in her love for Lysander and all that she does for that love. Brandon Pack carries the range of his character’s emotions, especially his sudden change in affections, with professional ease, contributing to both the comedy and the drama of the performance.
Two of the main couples, the duke (Alexa Quigley) and the betrothed (Michael Mehner) and the fairy king and queen, are gender swapped, which brings out fun new perspectives in the play. Jacie Graham’s Oberon is exasperated with Robin Henry’s distractible Puck, who mis-carries out the love plot to restore Helena to the graces of Demetrius’s affection. Meanwhile, Zach Young’s Titania is sweet sincerity itself, which is endearing during his quarrel with Oberon over the changeling child and hilarious in his wooing of Bottom. Ruthie Cobb’s Bottom is brilliant, and she makes a spectacle of the bumbling and overblown narcissist. The “death scene” in the play-within-a-play is especially notable.
The players (Alyssa Garn, Garr Van Orden, Matthew P. Davis, Tiffany Ellis, Elizabeth Adams) are diverse in their personal comedy but consistently hilarious. Van Orden’s monotone hillbilly, Adams’s shy excitement, Davis’s reluctance, and Garn’s proper directing all have their moment to shine. Ellis gives a solid performance as “wall.” Because of these players, the play-within-a-play scenes are an absolute delight, especially as an audience watching an unruly audience watching a silly play.
A Midsummer a Night’s Dream at the Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork, Utah, is a fun, family-friendly show perfect for introducing little (or recalcitrant) audience members to The Bard, but it also entertains the more stalwart Shakespeare devotees.
Cobb&Co. presents A Midsummer a Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
165 N Main Street Spanish Fork, UT 84660
April 15–20, 7:30 PM, April 20, 2024, 1:30 PM
Tickets: $18
https://greathall.live/puck/tickets
Contact: cobbcotheaterproductions@gmail.com
C&C Facebook Page
Cobb&Co website
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