Above: Steven Ouimette as Nick Bottom with Members of the Company
"Give us your hands if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends!" - Puck
From the very beginning, we are sure that something will go wrong. What is to be amended? The answer lies in Oberon, King of the Fairies and his faithful Puck, who scheme together in the mix-up of lovers. But if Oberon had never wanted Titania's changeling child and never sent Puck to fetch the flower with which to cloud the minds of the lovers, much of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream wouove: ld have never happened.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most well-known and frequently performed today, from the high school to professional stage. A tale of misplaced love, we follow the decisions of Hermia who has been ordered by her father to marry Demetrius. Much to her fathers dismay, she does not love him and instead confesses her love for the rebel Lysander. When their marriage is forbidden the two decide to run away into the forest at nightfall, in hopes that they will be married and live together in peace - but all does not go as planned. Followed by Demetrius, friend Helena and at the disposal of magical creatures, the four lovers discover that love can not only be changed in an instant, but also by magic.
I was extremely excited to head to the Festival to see this production as our first of the season. I have never read the play or seen any movie leaving my mind completely open to the characters, their choices and the overall enjoyment of the production. Needless to say, I was incredibly impressed. Hermia (Bethany Jillard), Helena (Liisa Repo-Martell, Lysander (Tara Rosling) and Demetrius (Mike Shara) were hilariously charming as the four crossed lovers who unexpectedly fall victim to Pucks magic. My favorite characters of the production by far were Nick Bottom (Steven Ouimette) and Titania (Jonathan Goad). Director Chris Abraham set the production around the wedding of a gay couple and then played with the mix of gender roles, having a male actor play Queen of the Fairies Titania and a female actress as Hermia's love Lysander. Accompanied by an adorable cast of child actors and other various characters, Abrahams production gave a whole new tone to Shakespeare's play and made such an impact that I will be returning at the end of the season to take part in the "on-stage" interaction experience.
Easily bewitching and a joy from start to finish, Chris Abraham has given Shakespeare lovers an irresistible new take on a classic that is sure to stand the test of time.
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Dream Wedding
http://youtu.be/CA3ru0rP4iw?list=PLrkRb9nzgclWZHsJ_kFpGPr75zzReIct8
A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
For stage photos and videos from this production, visit:
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=24197&prodid=52393
OR visit the Stratford Festival Youtube channel
For more information about The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, visit:
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/
**NEXT REVIEW: 'Mother Courage and Her Children' by Bertolt Brecht**
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