A Steamy and Dreamy Summer Night

By Roland Finger
Staff Writer

The latest mind-bending, heart-pounding show at Theatre B is a clever adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Director Brad Delzer has woven a classic romance with some nifty modern stagecraft. Flashlights, cell phones, echoing voices, black lights give eye-catching effects, heightening the bubbling chemistry between strong actors.

The play deals with troubled romances, fools for love overcoming setbacks. The main young lovers, Hermia and Lysander, played by Christina Johnson and Matt Englund, work around the love-killing, party-pooper patriarch, Egeus, who is willing to sacrifice his daughter if she will not stick to his marriage plans. Because the beautiful actress Phaidrus Yunker plays Egeus, the play’s display of male authority gets complicated. A love triangle forms because Demetrius has Egeus’ blessing to marry Hermia, who doesn’t want him, but Helena is hot for Demetrius. The love triangle becomes a quadrangle.

Amy Bouithlet captures Helena’s hysteria as a woman driven by passion and insecurity. Because there is no Prozac for this desperate woman, the Fairy King, Oberon, takes pity on her, dosing Demetrius with some magic Cupid drops. But mistakes occur. Puck, Oberon’s loyal trickster servant, has trouble telling which mortals are which. Mortals apparently all look alike, and Shakespearean mix ups never get old.

No shrinking violet as Oberon, Doug Hamilton, reveals lots of chest and a little belly as he works his magic on mortals, as well as his wife, the Fairy Queen, Titania. The Fairy Queen has not catered to her husband’s every demand, denying him access to an Indian Boy, who is merely mentioned but never heard or seen. What exactly does Oberon want with this child? What are his plans? Are they creepy or honorable? We never know.

Oberon has a bit of a temper and decides to punish his wife, played by Carrie Wintersteen, by forcing her into a humiliating affair. The Queen falls for a mortal transformed into an ass, Nick Bottom; she fondles his big ears, making much of his animal attributes. Most husbands would not get back at their wives by pushing them into an affair with a donkey, but this is the land of fantasy and abnormal psychology. Immortals do not follow the same codes of behavior as mere mortals. After all, the play is set in Athens, and Greek Gods have engaged in far worse than wife swapping and bestiality for laughs.

In the end, love wins the day. Oberon’s marriage is restored, and we don’t get the feeling that the Fairy Queen will give birth to a Centaur, and best of all, the young lovers get to tie wedding knots. Oberon gets Demetrius to come around and devote himself to the lonely and pathetic Helena. We get the impression that mortal women should always get their way and be adored. It’s unnatural for them not to be loved by the men they choose. When Helena throws herself upon Demetrius, asking to be treated like a Spaniel, the world of romance is out of balance and needs to be adjusted. This insight may be one of Shakespeare’s most tried and true. It’s only in the fairy realm where men seem to have complete control in romance.

Colin Froeber makes one fine Puck, a zippy spirit. The play hustles and bustles, drawing you to an enchanted forest, where you will dream of dashing along with speedy characters. The play within the play, dominated by Nick Bottom, has brilliant comic touches, leading to a wonderful male-on-male kiss, highlighted by cross-dressing. Josh Clausen provided the musical score, adding to the play’s jolly mood without intruding.

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IF YOU GO:
What: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Where: Theatre B
When: Thursdays-Sundays, April 28-May 22
Info: 701.729.8880 and .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)