By Mahonri Stewart
The Utah Shakespeare Festival certainly knows how to cast a spell. William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, for me, is all about the magic. Yet I have been surprised by how often I have seen dreary, colorless, or cynical versions of the play—whether it’s a Gothic setting, or a post-apocalyptic one, or other such rot. Really, it’s a play about fairies. Embrace that. Thankfully, the USF know their magic, and there is enchantment galore in Cedar City in this stunning production of the perennial clasic.
From the get-go it is clear that Utah Shake’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was guided by a strong directorial vision. Placing Shakespeare’s plays in various times and settings can come off really well or can seem needlessly artificial, but director Kirsten Brandt’s proof was in the pudding with this dazzling production that envisions the fairies and their unwitting experiments in human love in the roaring 1920s. All bubbly champagne, dazzling clothes, and art-deco-visual-pop, it’s an inspired choice to place such a whimsical play in.
The production’s artistic staff runs wonderfully wild with that concept and suddenly we have flapper fairies, winding staircases that double as silvery forests, and a mixture of sequins and starlight, all to dazzle our eyes. Brenda Van Der Wiel’s costumes are a delight, appropriately providing contrast between the four lovers’ more pedestrian costumes and the fairies’ colorful, yet stylish clothing (which are sometimes zipping, over-the-top fun. The male fairies’ hats, oh my! It was all utterly delightful). Puck, Oberon, and Titania’s costumes were particularly engaging, giving the characters a stylishly otherworldly air. These aren’t fairies that traipse around in weeds and vines—they know how to make a fashion statement.
And something has to be said about the wigs. Having seen Cassandra Bissel’s joyfully wild, long, and curly hair in As You Like It, it took me a bit of time to realize that the same actress who played Rosalind there was also playing Helena in Midsummer (it was her great voice that finally gave her away.) How they crammed her red, luscious locks into such a short, blonde 1920s bob is beyond me. Ditto on both of Kelly Rogers’ awesome wigs (especially her bodaciously bold hair as Puck), and Melinda Parrett’s wig that gave her a touch of Angelica Huston. The wigs alone did so much to distinguish between different characters a single actor was playing. The miracles of theatrical hair.
I was unsure at first of scenic designer’s Jason Lajka’s choice of using so much metal and marble in designing a play that mostly takes place in a forest, but the Art Deco-infused style makes it come off as magical rather than intimidating, even making its way even into the design of Bottom’s donkey head. This was a design that reflected a sense of starlight and moonlight rather than trees and flowers, while still reflecting the New York City skyscraper interior style of the chosen era, which was an effective and engaging choice.
Particular note needs to be made of the sound and lighting design, which are areas that often do not get the same emphasis in many productions and their ensuing reviews. Yet in this production, they were vital to the ambience and enchantment of the piece. Brandt’s directorial choice to have the supernatural characters use so many spells to effect the action was particularly assisted by Kirk Bookman and Barry G. Funderburg’s brilliant lighting and sound designs.
Brandt’s very specific, purposeful, and effective blocking was very nicely punctuated by Robert Westley’s energetic and often uniquely humorous movement and stage combat.
The cast is equally game and garnered some wonderfully fun and winsome performances. Many of them were double cast in their roles, which created a nice dual identity between the natural and supernatural worlds, an alternate reality where magic lives anew in their lives. This duality was particularly interesting to see through J. Todd Adams as Oberon/Theseus and Melinda Parrett as Titania/Hippolyta. They both had electrifying presences that channeled the supernatural/regal.
There was a fantastic, sexy energy between the four lovers (Cassandra Bissell as Helena, Kaitlin Margaret Mills as Hermia, Riley Shanahan as Lysander, and Marco Antonio Vega as Demetrius.) As they progressively deteriorate into a state of undress (similar to, but slightly more family friendly than the 1999 film version), their masks of denial and/or pretensions are stripped away, as they have to become more honest with each other and with themselves about their various feelings and motivations. The scene where the four of them quarrel and Helena thinks the other three are in cahoots to mock her, which has always been my personal favorite in the play, is sheer hilarity, while still being played with honesty and clear conviction. Plus, it has a lot of fun physical action and humor.
The Rude Mechanicals that put on Midsummer’s infamous play within a play (Andrew May as Peter Quince, Eric Schabla as Francis Flute, Melissa Graves as Jane Snout, Taylor Harris as Snug, and Madison Kisst as Robin Starveling), led by the delicious diva Nick Bottom (James Newcomb), are all incredibly quirky, lovable, and hilarious. I especially appreciated casting women into the roles of Snout and Starveling, as Graves and Kisst are particularly funny in their turns as Wall and Moonshine. There are some ingenious moments with Wall that are raucously hilarious, if not a little naughty and irreverent. Throughout the Rude Mechanicals’ whole working class production of Pyramus and Thisbe, my 11-year-old son whom I brought with me, was laughing uproariously (perhaps a little too uproariously, as I kept darting glances around us, making sure we weren’t being too loud.) I’ve taught him to appreciate and love Shakespeare, but scenes like this really help to make an impression that will stick with him and keep that love going, which—Bardophile parent as I am—I deeply appreciate.
As mentioned, many of the cast members also took on roles as various fairies and, again, I appreciated the gender blind casting that went on in this production, as some of the funniest moments came from the male fairies, though my particular favorite is probably Madison Kisst who brings a wonderful energy as First Fairy, especially during her first encounter with that merry wanderer of the night, Robin Goodfellow.
A warning, however, bringing on adorable children like Joanna Howe/Jane Stavros as the Changeling Child, or adorable dogs like Ella as Starveling’s Dog is totally unfair to the actors. Children and dogs will upstage even the most skilled of actors—every time.
However, I have reserved the highest praise for Kelly Rogers’ interpretation as Puck. Oh my goodness—what fun she was having. Her delight then, in turn, infected us. I have often been sorely disappointed with how many Pucks I have seen throughout the years that have totally failed to live up to manic, mischievous delight that I believe needs to inhabit this iconic Shakespearean character. In my opinion, even professional productions and Hollywood film versions have rarely got the character right. It takes a special and gifted kind of actor to channel that kind of whimsical anarchy—I know I couldn’t do it—thus I am over the moon to see Rogers’ energy, verve, impishness, and naughty playfulness, all while maintaining the dark undercurrent of power that Robin Goodfellow holds over mortals. I was deeply impressed with Rogers’ portrayal of Phebe in this year’s production of As You Like It, but her performance as Puck brought everything up to a whole other level of accomplishment. Rogers then brought that same energy, verve, humor, and talent to her role as the major domo for Theseus, Philostrate. Philostrate is often just a throwaway role in most productions, but here she acts as Puck’s dual, alternate dimension human identity.
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Puck is a star-turning role for Rogers, and I hope the Festival is paying attention, for I hope to see her in starring roles at the Festival for many years to come. I am not guilty of hyperbole in saying hers was the best, most perfect portrayal of Puck that I have ever seen.
When, during the play’s epilogue, Puck said, “Give me your hands, if we be friends,” the audience gave her, the cast, and the crew ample return by responding with a standing ovation. Too often certain audiences give such ovations too casually, but in this case it was deeply deserved. It is easily one of my favorite—if not the favorite—version of the play I have personally seen.
This show is filled with fun and some sexy humor, but nothing that my 11-year-old son found offensive. Bring the family! Kids, grandkids, grandparents, siblings, friends. Everyone will love this show.
These shadows certainly did not offend,
Thus there was nothing for fairies to mend,
With such impish delight and Puckish glee,
They left us in a magic revelry.
Utah Shakespeare Festival presents As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Randall L. Jones Theatre, 300 W Center Street, Cedar City, UT 84720
July 4 – October 21, intermittently at 8:00 PM and 2 PM.
Tickets: $20-60
Please visit www.bard.org for ticket availability, show dates, and times.
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