Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Gettysburg Community Theatre

Easily regarded as the greatest playwright to ever live, William Shakespeare wrote 39 plays during the span of his life. A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of his most famous comedies and includes an array of delightful characters that audiences simply adore. This play allows the viewer to escape into a glorious fantasy world filled with tricky fairies, troubled young lovers, and a colorful group of actors. Add in a wedding, magic potions, and a donkey, and you've got yourself a hilarious evening of mischief that you won't soon forget. Gettysburg Community Theatre's production of this classic tale was quite charming and totally swept me up in its magic spell.

There were a lot of elements of this particular production that I really enjoyed. I feel like Anna Kurtz, the show's Director, and her team really brought an enchanting quality to this show that was easily enjoyed by audience members of all ages. The set design for Shakespeare productions are normally fairly simple, but Dakota Shupp definitely took this set up a notch. His bright sunrise mural on the back wall of the stage is beautiful to look at. The show's lighting, designed by Travis Sowell, complimented the show nicely. I especially loved the green lighting that was used during some of the fairy sequences and how magical the performers looked in it.

The Secret Bandwagon accompanied the performers onstage as the musical entertainment for the show. This duo of musicians played some lovely and, at times, familiar tunes during preshow and intermission to help set the mood. The blend of guitar and violin were a very pleasant addition to the show as well.

The cast of this production was enjoyable in their portrayal of these characters. Oberon and Puck (played by Lance Windish and Caitlin Cutright respectively) had incredible chemistry. Their gymanastics-style choreography was an unexpected treat to watch. Samuel Eisenhuth was brilliant in the role of Bottom and had incredible comedic timing. Whether you have never seen this play before or have watched it a million times, I would recommend adding this production to your list of versions to watch. You've only got one more weekend though, so visit www.gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org to get your tickets. Wander you now to the Gettysburg Community Theatre and get ready for a fun evening with the Bard Of Avon and his cast of magical mischief makers.

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