BWW Reviews: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Stark Naked Theatre Company Puck'ing Awesome

Walking up to this warehouse building in the downtown area I was excited. Was I in the East Village seeing a production at La MaMa, or I was in the Bayou City seeing The Stark Naked Theatre Company's production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM? From the rugged factory exterior of the venue to the perfectly designed industrial theatre space I was in artistic heaven.

I was introduced to A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM in High School where I played Philostrate, and since then this is one of my favorite Bard Comedies. William Shakespeare's language is perfect in composition and raw emotion. Often confusing for some but it is the creatives job to communicate a holistic vision with the company to bring forth a well-produced piece of classical theatre. At times, the language is the main focus and other parts of the piece fall through the cracks. I was completely invested in this production; from the hip pre-show music to the simplicity in design. The creatives at Stark Naked Theatre "get it" and bring theatrical excellence to the stage in William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

This comedy wrote between 1590 and 1596 centers around Theseus the Duke of Athens and his marriage to Hippolyta, four misguided lovers, the quarrelling Fairy King and Fairy Queen and of course, the ambitious acting troupe. As this story unfolded I was drawn to each actor's connection with the text and then their connection to one another in space. Relationships are the thing when playing on stage. The production was guided by the astute directorial team Kim Tobin-Lehl & Philip Lehl. From the 1996 movie starring Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfieffer to the exquisitely theatrical staging by Julie Taymor, Stark Naked's creative twist will go down in the books for me. I loved how each person in the Human world played a character in the fantasy world. The cast consisted of: Theseus/ Oberon (Luis Galindo), Hippolyta/Titania (Courtney Lomelo), Puck/Snout (Phillip Hayes), Bottom/ Egeus (Drake Simpson), Lysander/ Flute (Jesse Merrill), Demitriuis/ Quince (Crash Buist), Philostrate/First Fairy (Regina Ohashi), Helena/Mustardseed (Molly Searcy), Hermia/ Moth (Skyler Sinclair), Starveling/ Peaseblossom (Hannah Kreig) and Snug/ Cobweb (Robert Meek).

There is no such thing as perfection, but this production comes close. In the first act of Shakespeare plays there's a ton of narrative to set up and that can cause pacing issues here and there. This production suffered slightly in Act I, but this was definitely not a deal breaker.

When an actor has to play dual roles in a show this can be a taxing effort. Physical Characterization, as well as pattern of speech, can become generic without variety. I loved how the fairies constantly moved mimicking the idea of flying. The rigid royal demeanor Luis Galindo used as the Duke was spot on then shifting into the agile Fairy King. Phillip Hayes who played Puck took this actor task to the next level. It is noted this character is a faun, half-human and half-goat. When transitioning to the character Puck he walked on relevé giving the illusion of a man walking on hoofed feet. This is a testament to the magic of minimalism in the theatre. There was no need to make a goat costume and add horns to his head. My imagination went wild. Another standout performance was by Molly Searcy who played Helena/Mustardseed. Watching the transformation from a distraught heartbroken girl to a constant moving wing fluttering fairy was magical. Drake Simpson's portrayal of the ambitious thespian Bottom was side-splitting funny and hammed up all in the right way. There was a moment during the show where I noticed he was wearing a paper bracelet that looked like a night club entry bracelet. It took me away from a few of his moments. Again, these are my two-cents so spend them how you may.

The costume design for this production was well-thought out and worked perfectly with the direction of this play. The tan, beige and winter white choice was spot on. Adding free flowing fabric to the fairies proved that when you think out of the box you can create monumental theatrical moments. As with the good there were a few things that I felt needed work. Jesse Merrill was the perfect Lysander/ Flute with epic comedic moments. I had trouble understanding if the southern accent was on purpose or a part of his shtick. When you are in an intimate space such as this, everything is visible.

This was the first production I've seen by Stark Naked Theatre Company, and I am excited to see what's next with this group. I love when I go to a show and I am taken on a journey. I felt like a theatre patron rather than a theatre critic. It's productions like this I consider to be the meat and potatoes of theatre. We are allowed to use our imagination and we aren't force fed spectacle that is usually needed as a distraction to take our minds off the horrible acting and poor direction. I remember a theatre friend telling me that those who use minimalism aren't creative. Well, those who don't understand minimalism don't have an imagination. If you are looking to enjoy a great piece of theatre on your Spring Break please take the time to go over to Spring Street Studios and catch this great production!

For more information about Stark Naked Theatre Company, please visit http://starknakedtheatre.com/.

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