Review: THIS PALPABLE GROSS PLAY At The Chapel

Forget a lot of what you know about William Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. Slightly Askew Theatre Company (SATE) has produced a re-telling of this comedy with an adaptation by the imaginative and witty mind of Ellie Schwetye. THIS PALPABLE GROSS PLAY: A Kind of Midsummer Night’s Dream mainly follows the affairs of the four young lovers Helena, Demetrius. Lysander, and Hermia. The actors who play the lovers also play The Mechanicals. But, in this reimagined version, The Mechanicals are current day actors rehearsing to portray the four lovers in the play. Each actor plays a dual role, with a fifth actor playing the singular role of Nick Bottom. While this may all sound complicated, it is not. If you’ve never seen or read the original play, quickly perusing a short online synopsis of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM will give you all the background you will need to enjoy SATE’s inventive take on one of The Bard’s most loved comedies.

Schwetye’s version incorporates a present-day plot set against the action in Shakespeare’s play. Her inventive take of Shakesperean metadrama is reminiscent of KISS ME, KATE with its play-within-a-play. Whether this nod was intentional or not, Schwetye’s reconceived telling is a charming homage to the classic musical.

The play opens with an actor, playing the dual roles of Puck and Robin Starveling, serving as narrator. He introduces the play with two speeches. First, he recites text from the Fairy Queen’s “Over hill, over dale…” speech, then he steps out of character and recites the script from a television commercial for a prescription sleep medicine. Silly? Yes. Funny? Very, and it effectively sets the farcical tone for an ingenious retelling of Shakespeare’s play.

When the actors are in their Midsummer Night’s Dream characters, they are observed by The Queen and King of the Fairies, Titania and Oberon. These actor’s don't break character and remain seated at the back of the stage while the other actors are filling the present-day roles. These actors never leave the twelfth century Athens setting and ignore the action of the present-day actors when they step between roles.

Schwetye’s vision is brought to life by the crisp direction of Lucy Cashion. Her brisk blocking moves the actors from scene to scene across the two time periods with ease. Cashion effectively guides the energetic performances of her actors so the audience can clearly distinguish which of the two characters each is portraying.

Ross Rubright (Puck/Robin Starveling), Kristen Strom (Peter Quince/Helena), Andre Eslamian (Nick Bottom), Kayla Ailee Bush (Francis Flute/Hermia), Joshua Mayfield (Tom Snout/Demetrius), Anthony Kramer Moser (Snug/Lysander), Spencer Lawton (Oberon), and Victoria Thomas (Titania) all deliver eccentrically comical performances as part of a capable ensemble. Their embodiment of specific characters is never confusing. This troupe collaborates on the most important aspect of any theatrical performance: storytelling. They work together like intricate machinery with carefully teethed cogs that transfer energy among one another to drive this quirky narrative.

SATE’s production of THE PALPABLE GROSS PLAY is preposterous, nonsensical, absurd entertainment. This unique production of a classic play is a completely enjoyable from start to finish. THE PALPABLE GROSS PLAY continues Wednesdays - Saturdays at The Chapel through September 2nd. Click the link below to purchase tickets.

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