Love can turn people into fools.
William Shakespeare takes this idea very seriously in some plays (think: double suicide), but just as unseriously in others, perhaps none more so than “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The Rochester Community Players, celebrating their centennial season, lean into the goofiness under the playfully chaotic direction of Lizz Kd. Their thoroughly entertaining rendition of the beloved magical romantic comedy plays at Highland Park Bowl for free through July 26, with donations accepted.
The production opens with an atmospheric overture, a rapid ascension of notes on strings setting the tone for a fantastical, old-timey world. The set (designed by Kd) is unassuming but striking, a white construction of steps leading to a platform adorned with bare tree branches. Color gradually brightens the stage as the multiple threads of the story come together. Where and when are we? It’s as nebulous as a dream, a kaleidoscope of time periods brought to life through costume design by Samantha Burton and an eclectic soundscape ranging from fairy chimes to funk.
The plot begins in a version of Athens, where an angry father Egeus (Tom Bigongiari) expects his daughter Hermia (Kayla Perconti) to marry Demetrius (Fred Pienkoski), but her passionate teenage heart is set on Lysander (David Kensek) – what’s hotter than a forbidden love? They plan to run away together, followed by Demetrius at the guidance of his woefully smitten admirer Helena (Sammi Cohen). The minimalist set and neo-Ren Faire costumes — including white skirts and tan vests — suggest a bygone era, but the production is not married to any given time period. When Lysander proposes to Hermia, she squeals and pulls out a phone to capture the memory with a selfie.
Meanwhile, an amateur theatre troupe prepares a production as entertainment for an aristocratic wedding (possibly the very reason Shakespeare wrote this play). The actors rush in on a wave of queer theater kid energy, honking the horn on an adult tricycle and carrying a boombox. Adorned in street clothes — torn jeans, plaid shirts, a yellow hard hat — they begin to add color to the stage. Under the determined direction of Peter Quince (Tyler Lucero), they squabble over casting and costumes as they collaborate on their own star-crossed lovers tale about Pyramus, played by Bottom (Renata Corrado-Green) and Thisbe, played by Flute (Rey Beagle), whose romance is thwarted by a delightful obstructive wall (Liza DeLooze).
The final — and most colorful — thread is a forest fantasy centered on fairy royalty King Oberon (Ged Owen), Queen Titania (Grace Judge) and their ensemble of dancing fairies. They come in wearing gentle hippie attire, with colorful streamers and flowing arm wings, dancing to Al Green. A conflict over a changeling (featured dancer Frances Andreu) leads Oberon to embarrass Titania with an enchantment that causes her to fall in love with Bottom, who is dressed for the play with a disturbing headpiece made of lights shaped like a donkey snout. The small, excitable fairy Puck (Jessi Opett) applies the same love spell to the runaway lovers, and soon both Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over a disbelieving Helena.
Chaos ensues.
“Midsummer” has often been adapted into operas and ballets, and this production takes advantage of the play’s potential for both music and dance. Local composer Seth Faergolzia contributes an original percussive, ethereal fairy lullaby, which rounds out a hodgepodge underscoring that ranges from 1970s soul to contemporary orchestral work by Michael Abels. The music and the dance choreography by Elyssia Primus enhance the otherworldliness of the fairies, who perform a fusion of ballet, modern and funk with graceful fluidity.
The show has physical range, offering beautiful arabesques as well as slapstick, and rousing fight choreography by Jonathan Lowery — most notably during a mini-farce when Demetrius and Lysander battle for Helena’s affection. At times, the physical humor overshadows the more clever wordplay in Shakespeare’s text (although when staging a piece that needs to entertain folks sitting on blankets in the back of a field, this feels an appropriate tradeoff).
Few Shakespeare plays feel as suited for an outdoor summer performance as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — full of imagery about the moon and forest, with characters who fall asleep just as the natural light of the park fades away with the sunset. It’s a treat to watch the piece surrounded by fireflies and the smell of popcorn, delivered by a cast that understands both the play and the demands of an outdoor venue. The actors deliver the iconic language with gusto, clarity and infectious joy. If the play is merely a dream, nobody here wants to wake up.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” plays at Highland Park Bowl through July 26. Tickets are free, with donations accepted. Find more info and showtimes here.
Katherine Varga is a contributor to CITY.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
