A CROWD PLEASER
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Directed by Sally Wood; written by William Shakespeare; scenic design by
Daniel Bilodeau; costume design by Jae hee Kim
With: R. Chris Reeder, Melissa Graves, Chris O’Carroll, Jessica Pohly, Anna
Soloway, Michael R. Pauley, Will Harrell, and Dustin Tucker
Performed in repertory at the Theater at Monmouth in Monmouth, Maine
From July 13 to August 25, 2007
Reviewed by Laurie Meunier Graves
“Up and
down, up and down;
I will lead them up and down;
I am fear’d in field and town;
Goblin, lead them up and down.”
—Puck, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
A
Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most delightful plays, a
fantastical concoction set in ancient Athens, where fairies rule the dark
forest and love drives people mad. Filled with plenty of action and
tomfoolery, this chestnut draws in the young and the not so young as well as
pleasing the fidgety, the impatient, and even those who might have
Shakespeare anxiety. Well, there is nothing wrong with a crowd pleaser.
Theaters need to fill seats, and what better way of doing so than by
featuring “Shakespeare light”?
Despite
its accessibility, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is still Shakespeare,
and it therefore has what I have referred to as a “pinch.” In this case, it
is not a sharp one, but nonetheless it is there. While the madness of love
might be the main theme, there is also a strong undercurrent of the battle
for dominance between men and women, with two very strong women—Hippolita
and Titania—being the losers. In addition, the young lovers Hermia and
Lysander must flee Athens because Hermia’s father Egeus disapproves of their
love, and the old man has complete, legal control of his daughter. His
rights even extend to having her put to death if she defies his wishes,
although Theseus, the duke of Athens, softens this a bit by adding another
choice: “To be in shady cloister mew’d / To live a barren sister all your
life.” So it is either death or the nunnery. No wonder Hermia’s cheeks are
so pale. These choices are not likely to bring the flush of anticipation to
a young woman’s cheeks.
When
the play opens, Theseus is preparing for his marriage to Hippolita, Queen of
the Amazons, whom he has “woo’d…with…sword / And won [her] love doing [her]
injuries.” Here, we literally have a battle between the sexes, which then
immediately extends to Hermia’s rebellion against her father Egeus, with the
duke supporting paternal rights. We also learn that Egeus wants his daughter
to marry Demetrius, who in turn is pursued by the willful Helena, Hermia’s
childhood friend. By the time scene one is over, the four young people are
in a complete pucker. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee into the woods and
elope. Helena, upon learning of their plan, decides out of spite and
desperation to tell Demetrius, who is smitten by Hermia and scornful of
Helena. Into the woods they all flee, where another battle ensues, this time
between Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king.
Titania
has a changeling boy, an orphan, and apparently the child is so sweet that
Oberon jealously wants him for his own attendant. The strong-minded Titania
will not give him the child, and Oberon decides the time has come to play
dirty. With the help of the mischievous sprite Puck, Oberon will drop juice
from an enchanted flower onto the sleeping Titania’s eyelids. When she
awakens, she will fall in love with the first creature she sees, and let’s
just say Oberon does not intend to send Prince Charming in Titania’s
direction. Oberon figures that after being brought low, Titania will hand
over the changeling boy.
As
Oberon and Puck plot, Demetrius and Helena burst into the woods, and the
fairy and sprite become invisible. They watch Helena make a complete fool of
herself as she flings herself at Demetrius. “Use me as your spaniel, spurn
me, strike me, / Neglect me, lose me…” This speech never fails to make me
wince as the pathetic Helena sinks deeper and deeper into self-abasement.
Demetrius, of course, is completely unmoved, and his own obsession with
Hermia rages unabated. However, Oberon is moved, and he vows to help the
unhappy Helena, who clearly isn’t having much luck on her own. He instructs
Puck to drop juice from the flower onto Demetrius’s eyelids so that his
affection will be transferred from Hermia to Helena. Then he dispatches Puck
to take care of the young lovers.
This
Puck certainly does, and with a vengeance. By the time he is done, both
Lysander and Demetrius are pursuing Helena, who is sure she is now being
mocked, and poor Hermia is left without a lover. Meanwhile, Oberon drops the
juice onto Titania’s eyelids, and into the woods conveniently comes a group
of amateur actors, with the lead actor even more conveniently named Bottom.
Faster than you can say “Robin Goodfellow,” Bottom is “translated” into an
ass, just in time to be spied by the waking Titania.
The
ruckus that follows is always a pleasure to watch, and the Theater at
Monmouth’s snappy production was especially satisfying. The fight scenes,
the to-ing and fro-ing, the contrivances, and the final play-within-the-play
added to the general hilarity. All the actors did a fine job, and this was
particularly true of the young lovers, Jessica Pohly (Hermia), Anna Soloway
(Helena), Michael R. Pauley (Lysander), and Will Harrell (Demetrius).
However, this production belonged to Dustin Tucker (Bottom) and Mike Anthony
(Puck). Employing a wide range of ticks and gyrations, Dustin Tucker cut
loose as Bottom the ass, and his over-the-top performance really enhanced
the chaos and the commotion of the play. Mike Anthony, with his swooping
1950s hairstyle, was a light-footed but earthy Puck, ready to do his
master’s bidding while at the same time being slyly impudent.
I
expect most readers know how A Midsummer Night’s Dream turns out.
Being a comedy, the play’s body count is zero, and the ending is more or
less satisfying for everyone involved. Except for the vanquished Hippolita
and the noble Titania, both of whom, as Marilyn Monroe might say, get the
fuzzy end of the lollipop. Perhaps it’s best just to note quickly that
through the ages, in our entertainments, strong women are often bested by
stronger men and that this trend continues through the present.
Whenever I go to a play produced by a professional company, I expect, at
least, a good, solid performance, and through the years, the Theater at
Monmouth has certainly delivered this. However, this year has got to be a
banner year for the theater, where everything came together—quality of the
plays, direction, and acting—to make a truly remarkable season. The women,
in particular Melissa Graves, Jessica Pohly, Anna Soloway, and Marcy Amell,
have been very strong, and this has not always been the case in the past. My
absolute favorite would have to be David Greenham’s witty, humane Tom
Jones, but I would perfectly happy to see any of the four major plays a
second time.
Dear
readers, if you are within driving distance of the Theater at Monmouth, do
not hesitate to make your reservations. There is still time left to see
every one of the major plays, and except for subscribing to Wolf Moon
Journal, I can’t think of a better way to spend money. I’ve said it
before, and I’ll say it again. We are very lucky to have plays of this
quality in such a small, rural area. So get thee hence!
