Out of all the plays I have seen at the RWU Theatre this one had the most hits to the groin. Three to be exact, a record that I am sure they are very proud of. It also happened to be the only play I have taken my parents to.
Everyone knows who Shakespeare is, but I doubt many people on campus know the full story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, English majors withstanding. This play follows four characters, all with complicated romantic feelings towards each other as they run off into the woods only to get tangled up in the plots of the fairies. All the while some poor local actors are just trying to rehearse their play, only to get swept up into the chaos with the rest of them.
The language of Shakespeare can be very hard to understand, especially with so many characters and plots, so the actors have the heavy burden of communicating through their acting what might be lost in the words.
The main leads Demetrius, played by Alec Corrado, Lysander, played by Conner Farrel, Hermia, played by Kristine Johnson, and Helena, played by Nicole Kowalewski, all managed this task with ease and it was their constant energy that kept the show going and the audience laughing, even when they didn’t understand the joke.
A highlight of the show for me was Kristine Johnson’s performance as Hermia. While on paper the popular rich girl seems quite boring she is brought to life through Johnson’s acting and physicality. Even when dealing with a small costume mishap she kept focus and didn’t falter in her performance. Physicality was a big part of this play given the fight scenes, and the aforementioned hits to the groin, all of which could have led to injury if not done correctly and carefully. Each of the moves must be carefully rehearsed and yet in the moment look real and not practiced at all. A daunting task but one the entire cast succeeded at with flying colors.
On the fairy side of the show, I am not entirely convinced that Grey Simons, who played Puck, is not actually an ancient mischievous fairy seeing how well they fit the role. Their presence on stage, even when only lingering in the background, felt both playful and dangerous, and without their performance, a good half of the play would not work. The Queen and King of fairies, played by Thalia Black and Ry Goodell respectively, along with the rest of the fairy court did an amazing job capturing the ethereal nature of the fae on stage. I was especially impressed when some of them started singing.
It is important to remember however that a play is not just the actors in it but also the work put in behind the scenes to create these scenes. What stood out to me, especially at this performance, was the set, which had actors climbing up and down ladders, swinging and jumping onto each other. The stage decorations did not end at the stage however with flowers decorating the entire theater, and actors constantly walking through the audience. Just walking into the theater the audience was immediately transported into the world of the play, something that can be difficult in such a small theater. Another stand-out piece of production was the many costumes, many of which had to get progressively more run-through as the show went on.
The show closes out with the play that the actors have been working on this entire time. And well, not to critique Shakespeare, this ending has always felt a bit unnecessary. Despite my reservations towards the ending, it is entirely carried by the performance of the actors who had the entire crowd bursting with laughter for the last fifteen minutes. All of the energy of the show crescendos in this mad dash of a play, which calls back to almost every single joke in the play at this point. And when it is finally over the audience is silent for a moment, before erupting into raucous applause.
Every show at the Barn is worth watching, but this one stood out from the rest. I do feel sorry for the people who missed out on this amazing show. Hopefully, they will have learned their lesson for next time.
