Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Gamut Theatre

The course of true love never did run smooth, but a good Shakespeare play often does. That is my take away from a recently viewing of Gamut Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This show is fresh, fun, and funny. The remarkable 24 character show was performed by 14 actors, which calls for a lot of double and even triple billing.

Actors who played more than one character were consistently thoughtful and distinct in their portrayals. Take for example Nick Wasileski who plays both the good guy, lover Demetrius and the hammy actor, Nick Bottom. It's difficult enough to master lines and blocking for one main Shakespeare character, nevertheless, two. Even more remarkable Ross Carmichael and Erin Shellenberger play three very distinct characters each.

The dialogue is spoken very naturally, and the actors use gestures and facial expressions to pepper their conversations. Abby Carroll (Hermia) and Najuma Norma (Helena) were especially skilled in this area.

Kim Greenawalt plays the magical, troublemaker Puck with dynamic energy. I found Puck's trilling sound effects to be a delightful piece of business. Kudos to some of the younger members of the ensemble including Georgia Bailey, Eurya Aviles, Rio Gonzalez, and Adam Bateman. Their contributions as lurking fairies were both weird and wonderful.

Most audience members familiar with Midsummer look forward to the play within a play of Pyramus and Thisby, and this production does not disappoint. The crazy, over the top hijinks served as a great dessert in this show's five act meal. It takes really good actors to be able to pretend to act so badly!

The show eschews a traditional curtain call for a really cool choreographed dance to Tommy James and the Shondell's "I Think We're Alone Now". This leads to my only suggestions for this great show. It wasn't really clear to the audience if or when we were supposed to give the cast's well-earned applause. It makes it even a little more tricky since there is no visual cue to the audience during curtain calls to remind us that an actor played more than one part. Some of the actors that played two visually dissimilar characters, such as the equally hilarious Matthew Golden and Christopher Ellis, might not get the full recognition and appreciated deserved without scrutinizing the playbill.

In conclusion, Gamut's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a great night at the theater filled with laughter and love. Tickets and more info can be found at here.

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