A Midsummer Night's Dream (Lantern Theater Co.)

I went to see the final preview of the Lantern Theater Company's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream tonight. Honestly, I dragged my feet, and wouldn't have gone if it wasn't part of my subscription. I love Shakespeare as much as any English major, but for some reason it feels like I've seen A Midsummer Night's Dream a hundred times before. I can only pinpoint one time specifically (a Shakespeare Festival on the Bangor Waterfront in the 90s), and I know I watched the 1999 movie at least once, and I know I read the play at least once. But it feels like more.

Anyway, I already had a ticket, so I went, and as usual I'm glad I did. This was a really good production in an intimate, almost in-the-round theater -- very different from an outdoor Shakespeare fest. I loved the costume design (not really modern, but not traditionally Shakespearean either). Beautiful colors for the fairies' costumes, and nice little touches, like matching white trim on all the lovers' clothes. I thought the staging was smart -- never did I feel as if I was missing something because some of the characters' backs were to me. The actors ran up and down the aisles and through the balcony, and although that can be annoying sometimes, in this case it made it dynamic, blurring the lines between stage and seating (which the Lantern often seems to do well).

Missing was all the stuff that can sometimes (and this is sacrilege, I know) make productions of Shakespeare plays tedious. Almost all of the actors seemed to really understand their lines, and give them inflection that translated the story to the audience. Most of the actors' portrayals felt slightly influenced by modern pop culture, as if their director had suggested that they play the characters as specific modern actors would, or as if they were allowed to bring their own influences to the roles. Either way, it worked beautifully. Bottom (Benjamin Lloyd) had a touch of Jack Black. Helena (Lee Ann Etzold) managed to remind me of a smart, confident book-chick, possibly even a roller derby girl, even as she fawned over Demetrius. Mike Dees, as Thisbe, looked just like a cross-dressing Monty Python member (maybe John Cleese), because of his great facial expressions.

The whole cast was solid, but Dave Johnson as Puck rivaled Benjamin Lloyd as Bottom for the one you couldn't take your eyes off. Dave Johnson brought an animal quality to his role--I know that's a cliche, but it's the only way I can think to describe it. He prowled the stage like an animal accustomed to prowling the woods -- you could see it in every arm movement, in the way he hunched his back and bent his head. Even if he hadn't spoken at all, you'd have known the character he was playing, and been riveted.

After the play climaxed with the resolution of the mixed-up lovers, I thought the "play within a play" at the end would seem like too much (although obviously you can't mess with the Bard). Instead, it was hilarious, and a fitting climax of its own. Lloyd and Dees were perfect, as were the others (especially Mark Cairns as a kind of steampunk wall) and the modern touches (like a plastic collapsible sword) made it unique.

The Lantern Theater Company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream runs through April 17th. If you're on the fence, get off it and go. You won't regret it. It is a fun night of Shakespeare, so much so that I might go again.