Publisher: Elizabeth Hurd

Romance Abounds in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Myriad Gardens

The beauty of Alissa Mortimer is evident in her portrayal of the lovely Titania, Queen of the Faeries in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo courtesy of Kathryn McGill.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” has long been a favorite among lovers of Shakespeare.  It is funny, sexy, impossible and fast-paced. Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park opens Season Number 34 with this excellent choice captivating audiences, despite the Oklahoma springtime heat.

Lance D. Marsh directs with a talented cast of actors. The story of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is as silly as any romantic comedy today. Theseus, Duke of Athens prepares to marry the lovely Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and he is beseeched by a courtier’s wife, Egea about another impending marriage.  Her daughter Hermia has been promised to Demetrius, but Hermia loves another.  The Duke tells Hermia she must forsake her love, Lysander, as her mother bids or face Athenian law. Her choice is death or to enter a nunnery devoted to the worship of Diana by perpetual virgins.  Hermia and Lysander run away to the forest.  Hermia confides in her friend, Helena who loves Demetrius hopelessly. Demetrius follows Hermia and Lysander as they escape and plot their elopement, and Helena follows Demetrius for love. 

The forest in Shakespearean tales is often quite populated with strange creatures among the natural inhabitants.  The forest surrounding Athens abounds with fairies and sprites including Oberon, King of the Fairies and his wife Titania.  In the midst of a lover’s quarrel, Oberon undertakes to discipline and confound Titania by causing her to fall in love with a forest creature.    He arranges for his minion, Puck, to gather a mysterious purple flower to anoint Titania’s vision so that she will love the first creature that she sees.  He also instructs Puck to use this loving wildflower to arrange the eyes and hearts of Hermia and Lysander as well as Demetrius and Helena.  Of course there is a glitch in every noble enterprise, and unwinding this glitch is the substance of the story.  Puck does have great success with Titania’s love, for he is in fact, an ass.  Puck has enjoyed changing the weaver and actor Bottom into an ass and that is who Titania sees and loves.  Oberon is delighted with Titania for falling in love with an ass. He seems to be completely unaware that she has already done so.

Alissa Mortimer as Titania caresses Bottom (Wil Rogers) after imbibing the love potion. Photo Courtesy of Kathryn McGill

Through the sort of riotous events that can only be found in the Shakespearean imagination all comes to right, and even as Bottom loses the love of Titania as her enchantment is broken, Bottom returns to his previous existence.  Bottom is a weaver by trade, but his love is theatre, and he is a member of a troupe of actors who are to appear at the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta.  The play within a play is an important device, as the audience will clearly see, but the actors who portray the story of “Pyramus and Thisbe” are a phenomenally poor troupe of actors with no talent for the stage. Their butchery of the familiar story so much like “Romeo and Juliet” is comically bad and Bottom is the worst actor of the lot yet with the biggest ego as is so often the case in real life.

In order to pull off the play within the play with terrible actors, one must have excellent actors to work with.  As a matter of fact, any production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” requires extremely talented actors as much as the Shakespearean comedy depends on characters so unfamiliar with basic logic.  This is the wonder of Shakespeare—elegance and eloquence contained within the framework of beauty does not require intelligent characters, only a smart audience played to by smart (or smart-ass) actors.

They are actors of talent and intelligence, as required, and they include Richard J. Nelson (Rick) as Theseus and also as Oberon and Alissa Mortimer as Hippolyta and the beautiful Faerie Queen, Titania. Nelson’s delivery is eloquent and his Theseus has a wise countenance while his Oberon is canny.  He separates the characters precisely.  Mortimer’s presentation as Hippolyta is elegant beauty and her Titania is elevated beauty.  Her lovely countenance is ageless as befits Queen or Duchess and poise in both characters is sublime and superb. Mortimer displays not only great talent but great presence of mind and along with Nelson they demonstrate a delightful rapport.

Rick Nelson as Oberon instructs Andi Dema as Puck to carry out his devious humiliation. Photo from Kathryn McGill

Oberon’s servant is Puck played by Andi Dema. Dema also creates the role of Philostrate, advisor to Duke Theseus, but it is as Puck that he shines. There are as many ways to play Puck as actors to play the part.  Dema creates a Puck all his own, impish and loveable with an underlying deviltry.  Wil Rogers is Bottom, a fun character scraping the bottom of the barrel in life in so many ways.  Bottom believes he can act, but he can only speak with diction.  Bottom believes he is handsome but he only is able to attract the love of the beauteous Titania when he has been given the head of an ass and she has been given a love potion.  It is imperative that the role be acted with sensitivity and ability, qualities Rogers has in abundance.

Carley Dickey as Hermia, Harrison Langford as Lysander, Rachel Necessary as Helena and Preston Chapman as Demetrius are the two sets of lovers who are the most inconstant of characters.  They are shallow and selfish and played with dexterity.  Both Dickey and Necessary are quality actresses, with Necessary providing the most intelligence and they complement their male counterparts nicely.  Langford and Chapman bring believability to Lysander and Demetrius, while allowing the primary teenage boy faults to fester wonderfully—unbelievable testosterone levels.

Wil Rogers as Bottom rehearses for Quince (Mark Johnson) as Isaiah Williams contemplates his role of a contemplative wall. Photo from Kathryn McGill

Mark Johnson as Quince to lead the players and Joe Bonfiglio to play the lovely Thisbe opposite Bottom’s impossible Pyramus, with Isaiah Williams as the Wall, Tyra Bullock as Moonshine and Micah Gilley as Lion make the poorly performed play within the purely performed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” delightfully bad.  The moment when Pyramus dies is overplayed by Bottom enough so that the length of his death scene is ridiculed by Theseus and others.  However, Director Marsh overplays the moment.  In this version, Pyramus returns to life several (uncountable) times and while Rogers makes the most of each expiration, it lasts far too long.  Two revivals are enough to make it bad; more is boring in spite of Rogers’s efforts.

 Hermia’s disgruntled parent complaining about the course of true love, believing it can be altered at the whim of outsiders is convincingly played by Lindsey Rollins.  The script indicates Hermia’s father Egeus, changing the part to Egea is a fine choice.  Marsh gives an opportunity to a fine actress with the casting of Rollins, and she does quite well. She is also a uniquely cute and fun First Fairy.

The group of theatre performers includes actors, playing other parts nicely. Williams Snout and Moth, Bullock’s Mustardseed and Starveling as well as Gilley’s Peaseblossom and Snug should not be overlooked in excellence. It is challenging to portray actors who are talentless instead of talented, and it takes profound abilities to do this.  These actors joined by Johnson and Rogers who make up the troupe performing ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ do a delightful job in the performance of the play.  However, it is Joe Bonfiglio who steals the scene with his incredible, hysterical Thisbe.

Wil Rogers as Bottom (Pyramus) rehearses with Tyra Bullock (Moonshine) as Micah Gilley prepares the role of the Lion. Photo courtesy of Kathryn McGill.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” plays at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City through June 23, 2018.  Due to some construction at the park, there is no concession stand operating this summer, so bring snacks and water.  Cold water bottles will be available before the show while supplies last. With a little (or a lot) of water by your side, the Oklahoma midsummer heat can be easily forgotten while enjoying this most excellent performance of Shakespeare’s favorite: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” but dress comfortably and loosely.  For information and tickets on this or upcoming performances call 405-235-3700 or visit www.oklahomashakespeare.com.