600 Words Drama Review - Due in 6 Hours

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April 4, 2017

By: Patricia Adekunle

nique but strange. Weird but intriguing.

Different but enchanting. These were

all words that I can use to describe Matt

Pfeiffer’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream shown at

the Arden Theater Company last Wednesday

night. It started off with the house band, which

also comprises of the lead actors within the play,

playing an orchestra of different instruments,

from the acoustic guitar to the washboards. Even

though the show hadn’t started, I still thought it

was a peculiar way to begin it but in all honesty,

from the moment I walked into the theater, I

knew it wouldn’t be an ordinary experience; and

I was right.

The show is a modern twist on the classic

tale of forbidden love that is considered to be

one of the most foundational plays in Western

culture. This play, and the way it is executed,

requires an open mind. Forbidden love is seen

throughout the show as an ongoing theme, even

though the audience is bouncing from one-time

period to another. The story is a romantic

comedy that depicts the events circulating around

the love story of Hippolyta and Theseus. The

story goes on to feature the trials and tribulations

of four young lovers who become enchanted

under a botanic spell.

The characters within this production are

the main reason as to why this production is so

unique in its own way: they wear regular clothes

and look more like people in today’s society.

Crazy, right? It’s as if they are able to forget

about the current time period that they are

actually in and make themselves believe that we

all took a quick trip back to ancient Athens, and

then back. Then back to Athens. Then back to

now. The cast is bursting at the seams with

talented actors and actresses. Mary Tuomanen,

Lindsay Smiling, Sean Close and Brandon J.

Pierce as Puck, Oberon/Theseus, Bottom and

Demetrius offered comedic relief while Taysha

Marie Canales as Hermia, who is making her

return back to the Arden, and Rachel Camp as

Helena, offer a great mixture of both love-

stricken tragedy and catty entertainment.

A definite standout moment was when

Puck and Oberon were at the top of the stage,

smoking hookah while down on the stage, a

complete disaster was occurring: the lovers begin

to lay their eyes on someone other than who

their heart desires and the kicker is that they

can’t control it. Puck was doing exactly what I

was doing, which was cracking up in my seat.

Tuomanen and Smiling had a distinct chemistry

that I didn’t really see amongst the other

characters, and that was okay with me. Due to

this and the nature of Puck’s character, you can’t

help but fall in love with the dynamic duo.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream had the

audience cackling in their seats while also

wondering what things would be like if minds

could easily be controlled, as the same time. It

was a pleasant surprise and I have to say, I

actually enjoyed it. The overlapping theme of

music and magic and forbidden love resonated

U

Photo Credit: Marc Gavin

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Classic with a Twist

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April 4, 2017

with me throughout the entire play. Eliana Fabiyi

and her fiddle have a lot to do with that. Fabiyi

made her debut at the Arden and she ended the

play with a special spot in my brain. She

exemplified what an instrumental is to me and

she wasn’t loud but she wasn’t quiet. She went

with the flow of the play and I liked it a lot.

One thing I will say about this

production, aside from the open mindedness, is

that you have to have an imagination. The actors

do a great job of starting your mind off with a

vision but as the viewer, you have to take that

vision and imagine the scenery; imagine the

bright moon; imagine the emotion and the

feeling. A show like this will challenge you as the

viewer to really open up, relax and imagine.