Subtle would not be a word used to
describe the Blunt Theater Company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. From Puck and Oberon smoking a joint, to
Titania's attendants scantily clad in shiny short-shorts, this Midsummer was a boisterous, free-flowing
comedy that left little to the imagination. Yet despite the unscripted antics,
the performances stayed surprisingly faithful to the playwright. Director
Kenneth Garson used the bawdy capers and costumes to punctuate the text rather
than patronize it, and with the help of a talented group of actors, he often
hit the mark.
When Lysander and
Hermia are forbidden to marry, they meet in the forest at night and prepare
to elope. Following them are friends Demetrius and Helena, who are spied upon
by the magical fairies Oberon, Puck, Titania, and her entourage. A team of
actors also arrives to rehearse in the woods, and soon all are tangled in
a series of supernatural spells and blunders.
With more than 20
characters, the risk of chaos is ever-present. This cast, however, was always
in control. As Lysander, Carlos De Alba was sharp as both a passionate
lover and an unlucky dupe, while Sharon Becker handled Hermia's restraint
and confusion well. Joshua Kaufmann was fine as Demetrius (though,
in one of the few dubious choices of the evening, he was assigned an unexplained,
intermittent stutter), but Niabi Caldwell was the scene-stealer of
them all. Her gangly, distressed Helena called to mind a high-school nerd
who elicits equal amounts of snickers and sympathy. Difficult as it may be
to balance the two, Ms. Caldwell was pitch-perfect.
It must have been
tricky to appear sincere while decked out in bell-bottoms, bandana and mutton
chops, but Glenn Stoops offered a game performance as Oberon. Speaking
iambic pentameter in a '60s hippy drawl reminiscent of a stoned Dennis Hopper,
Stoops guided the action with the help of John David West, whose likeable
Puck was energetic without being manic (despite being followed around by one
of Titania's fairies, a commendable chance the production took that didn't
quite pan out).
Tony Sicuso
was only mildly successful as Bottom, for he sounded a bit too polished and
practiced for the role of an oblivious bumbler. But the rest of his cohorts,
most notably the hilarious Cliff Roca as Quince, were just right.
The La Plaza Cultural was an enjoyable setting for the comedy. The raised, stepped garden provided plenty of willow trees and bushes to accommodate the fast-paced entrances and exits, and director Garson put them to good use. Yet despite the flora, this production was set firmly in the East Village rather than the Athenian woods. Pot smoking and crotch kicking were as abundant as metered verse and rhymed speeches, and t-shirts and skin-tight skirts were among the standard costumes.
In the hands of another company, such antics might have set the play into over-the-top disorder. But this cast and crew were always sincere and genuinely respectful of the work. In just under 90 minutes, the dialogue came out brisk without ever sounding rushed. And although mindful of the language, the actors never forgot to have fun; the added clowning never seemed forced or haughty. A lighter touch would have been welcomed at times, but overall the play was a success, and offered the audience a fine (and free) late-summer night's entertainment.
Writing: 2
Directing: 2
Acting: 2
Set: 2
Costumes: 1
Lighting/Sound: 1
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Copyright 2000 Ken
Jaworowski