by Charlsie-Kern Kruger

 

Above all else, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which features charming faeries and supernatural occurrences , must be magical. And beneath the magic, there must be a certain frightening weirdness. Magic is scary. The madness of love is scary. Transformation is scary. Supernatural interference in human life is scary.

Does this production meet these requirements? Is it magical? Yes. Is it scary? Yes. And, over all, it is quite, quite wondereful.

Bridgette Lariaux’s extensive choreography makes it as much a dance performance as a recitation of some of Shakespeare’s finest poetry. Costumes by Bethany Deral Flores inspire gasps. Nina Ball’s set design, as usual, is exactly right, perfectly fitted to the play and to the tone of this particular production. She is the Bay area’s premiere designer, working everywhere and always, for good reason. This is among her best work. The lighting design by Jon Tracy (the company’s artistic director and Ms. Ball’s marriage partner) brings all the visual components together with grace. The fighting, staged by the equally ubiquitous Dave Maier, is acrobatically convincing.

And I haven’t even got to the acting!

It’s very, very good. Written with an enormous number of rhymed couplets, Midsummer can easily fall into a sing song pattern that would undercut the effectiveness of the poetry. That does not happen here. The couplets are sonorous and rhythmic and natural, all at the same time. Few subtleties are lost. The underlying fear at the overwhelming power of human emotion is always there, along with a sense of its absurdity so eloquently expressed by Puck: “Lord! What fools these mortals be!”

Nothing is lacking here. Audiences will laugh, cry, gasp,  be fightened, and go home satisfied. Director Bridgette Lariaux hits this one out of the amphitheatre.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” continues at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre in San Rafael through July 13.  For further information, click here.
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Rating: **** (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare, adapted, choreographed and directed by Bridgette Lariaux. Set Designer: Nina Ball. Lighting Designer: Jon Tracy. Sound Designer: Ray Archie. Original Music: David Warner. Costume Designer: Bethany Deral Flores. Prop Artisan: Randy-Wong-Westbrooke. Fight Diurector: Dave Maier. Intimacy Director Jeunée Simon.

Cast:

Demetrius/Flute: Ixtlan. Lysandra/Snout: Andrian Deane. Peaseblossom/Philostrate: Carla Gallardo. Titania/Hippolyta: Charisse Loriaux. Oberon/Theseus: Johnmny Moreno. Egeus/Quince: Richard Pallaziol. Bottom: Steve Price. Puck: Rob Seitelman. Hermia/Snug: Storm White. Helena/Starveling: Elena Wright. Ensemble: Anika Griggs-Yew.