The work of William Shakespeare is fairly common year-round — nonetheless, it’s spooky season in spite of everything, so why not lean in? Director Danni Man’s imaginative and prescient of Shakespeare’s traditional comedy A Midsummer Night time’s Dream tries to current the story via a horror lens set in eerie Appalachia. Though the try didn’t precisely stick the touchdown, the distinctive interpretation proved to be an entertaining night of theater enjoying now at Dominion Stage.
Carried out in conventional Shakespearean dialogue, the story intently adopted the unique, aside from a shock twist ending. We open on the marriage day of the Duke of Athens, Theseus (Patrick M. Doneghy), to the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta (Brittany Washington). Battle begins when Egeus (Corey Ahearn) declares his need for his daughter, Hermia (Gwyneth Sholar), to marry Demetrius (Morgan DeHart). Hermia, nonetheless, is in love with one other man, Lysander (John Paul Odle). Each males are in love with Hermia, but Hermia’s finest pal Helena (Angela Cirino) pines after Demetrius. In the meantime, an enthusiastic, newbie performing troupe together with the pompous Nick Backside (Ali Cheraghpour) rehearses a play.
The 4 lovers and 6 performers find yourself in an enchanted forest inhabited by mischievous fairies whose meddling methods result in absolute mayhem. The fairy king, Oberon (Doneghy), and fairy queen, Titania (Washington), are within the midst of their very own argument. Robin Goodfellow, or Puck (Anastasia Brunk), loyal servant to Oberon, is distributed by his grasp to acquire a flower with the ability to make anybody fall in love with the primary individual, animal, or creature they see. A collection of misunderstandings results in darkish chaos as each Demitrius and Lysander fall for Helena, and Queen Titania finds herself enamored with Backside — whom Puck, only for kicks and giggles, has transmogrified with the top of a donkey.
The try to deliver this story to the Appalachian hills felt misplaced in translation. Though the characters spoke in Appalachian accents (for probably the most half, sometimes slipping out and in), the dialogue wasn’t up to date to mirror these modifications. As an example, the quite a few references to Athenian clothes, and so forth., might have simply been modified from “Athenian” to “Appalachian.” A number of selections about what to alter, or not change, felt arbitrary. As an example, they modified the wardrobe to seemingly Twentieth-century types however saved components like historical scrolls. Tending to those small particulars might have higher calibrated the viewers to our up to date atmosphere.
Furthermore, a number of performances felt as if they didn’t fairly perceive the tonal context behind the phrases they had been saying. One performer, nonetheless, delivered a very convincing and attractive efficiency — Angela Cirino as Helena. Her efficiency was grounded within the textual content but nonetheless got here throughout with conversational effortlessness, all whereas invoking actual, plausible pathos. And, as a bonus, Cirino even serenaded the viewers earlier than the present started with a beautiful folks model of The Animals’ famously darkish music “Home of the Rising Solar.”
One other notable efficiency got here from Natalie Pendie because the sly, foxlike fairy, servant to Queen Titania. Pendie had only a few precise traces, though she was nearly at all times current on stage — an performing problem that required her to create a personality nearly fully via entertaining physicality and physiology. She embodied a comedically curious power as she pranced throughout the stage, rummaged via people’ belongings, and sat again wide-eyed, watching the chaos unfold as if it had been an episode of actuality tv.
Pendie additionally stood out in her costume, designed by Merrick Shamblin, and in her hair and make-up, designed by Rebecca Harris. Pendie wore a multi-toned inexperienced costume and gloves that paired fantastically in opposition to the brown and purple colours of the creative, pretty life like fox head she donned as a type of mane. Every fairy wore a masks or headdress consultant of a distinct Appalachian animal or creature, together with an opossum, raccoon, spider, and extra. The work that went into these items, in addition to sure props designed by Katy Jones Powe (such because the ugly, decaying donkey), was visually putting and will have actually introduced the horror components of the present to life. Sadly, they had been overpowered by the confusion in tone and didn’t fairly have the impact they may have.
Puck’s (Brunk’s) costume/make-up was additionally notable with a gray wolf-like pelt worn as a type of vest; a darkish, spiked feather glove worn on a single arm; intricate braids wrapped in her hair; and fluorescent scale-patterned make-up painted throughout her brow and down her cheekbones. At one level, lighting designer Peter Leresche shone a vivid, heat purple overhead gentle that wove between the shadows and mirrored off Brunk’s pores and skin, combining with the metallic inexperienced paint and producing the magical texture of the world.
This distinctive model of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night time’s Dream, whereas entertaining, felt confused in execution, particularly through the twist ending. I gained’t spoil it, however I understood what they had been going for and respect the try; with a number of tweaks, this interpretation might have undoubtedly succeeded this spooky season.
Operating Time: Roughly two hours, with a 15-minute intermission.
A Midsummer Night time’s Dream performs via October 24, 2026 (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sunday at 2:00 pm), offered by Dominion Stage, acting at Theatre on the Run, 3700 S 4 Mile Run, Arlington, VA. Buy tickets ($30 for basic admission) on the door or on-line.
A Midsummer Night time’s Dream
By William Shakespeare
Produced and directed by Danni Man
