Playwright: William Shakespeare
At: Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Navy Pier, Chicago. Tickets: ChicagoShakes.com . Runs through: Jan. 27
One of Shakespeare's most endearing plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream, tells the story of the collison of two worldsthe rigid, imperial realm of Athens, in which a young woman ( Hermia, played by Melisa Soledad Pereyra ) can be put to death for disobeying her father's word on a choice of husbands; and the wild, magical, unruly world of the fairy kingdom.
The fairy realm is having problems: King Oberon ( Edward O'Blenis ) and Queen Titania ( Alexandra Silber ) are at odds, and this spills out into the real world as well, mixing up seasons and confusing mortals. ( Global climate change here is the fault of the fairies, not the humansa pleasant thought for those who still don't want to believe in it. )
The confusion is not limited to the climate, though. Hermia and her true love, Lysander ( Tyrone Phillips ), take to the woods in an effort to escape the death her father, Egeus ( William Dick ), has imposed on her for disobedience, and they are quickly followed by Helena ( Cristina Panfilio ) and the man she loves, Demetrius ( Eric Schabla ), who has dumped her for the prospect of marrying Hermia and is Egeus's choice for his daughter. As if that's not confusing enough, the four potential lovers are met in the forest by the mischievous fairy Puck ( Sam Kebede ) who, through magic, mixes up their affections, leading to much merriment for the fairies who stand invisibly watching the mess he has made.
Also in the woods is a group of amateur players Puck dubs "rude mechanicals," led by former Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight as Bottom, a man with little talent but loads of confidence. They are in the woods practicing a play for the nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta. In perfect symmetry with the rest of the play, they are performing a love story, albeit a tragic one: the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. However, they get caught up in fairy pranks when Puck replaces Bottom's head with that of an ass ( brilliant work by make-up artist Richard Jarvie ) and sees to it that the Fairy Queen falls in love with him. Mischief managed, the stage is set for loads of fun as the various lovers play out their magic-induced roles.
Director Joe Dowling's vision ( at times aided by Joe Chvala's brilliantly frenetic choreography ) makes this dream one to remember. From flown-on fairy settings to the mechanicals' crude efforts at creating a wall and moonshine ( and a marvelous costume for Dick's Lion ), this is a play that renders fantasy visible. The tech side of things, as one would expect from Chicago Shakespeare Theatre ( CST ), is perfect.
Todd Rosenthal's scenic design is outstanding. Several scene changes are completely surprising and wonderful, as the mystical forest looms just outside of rigid Athens. Fabio Toblini's costumes are also great, especially those worn by the fairies, which contain wilderness echoes of the militaristic outfits of Athenian soldiers. Original music by Keith Thomas and outstanding sound design by Christopher M. LaPorte surround us in the fairy presence, and the lighting by Greg Hofmann and Jesse Klug is stunning.
It is never easy to tackle a show as well-known as A Midsummer Night's Dream and make it yours, but Dowling and CST simply own this play, and have since he directed it for the very first CST season on Navy Pier in 2000. This incarnation of the Shakespeare classic is simply brilliant in every way, and audiences are going to love it.