Review: The Stratford Festival's Production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is a Magical and Triumphant Return to Live Theatre

After what feels like an eternity, Shakespeare has made its triumphant return to the Stratford Festival. Peter Pasyk's production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM opened last week and this writer had the opportunity to take in a midday production at the Tom Patterson Theatre Canopy on Sunday. With eight performers taking on a multitude of roles, this production appropriately feels like a fever dream. The performers are up to the task - with some actors taking on three different roles, providing a fun and whimsical experience for an audience that has been waiting for so long to see live theatre again! Boy, is it good to be back!

I was eager to see how this play would be cut, given that to accommodate COVID restrictions and the outdoor setting; it has been shortened to 90 minutes. The result is very pleasing. The entire story is there, as are those classic moments one recalls when they think of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Pasyk is able to capture the ethereal, the whimsical, and the bizarre whilst moving the story at an appropriate pace, and allowing his actors time to transition from character to character in a way that is clear (and even fun) for the audience. If not for some of the...errr...more adult themes, I would even say that this 90 minute version would be a great way to introduce kids to Shakespeare...but after seeing some of the particularly hysterical 'entanglements' these characters find themselves in...this is definitely a production for adults.

The play opens with the sprite Robin Goodfellow, aka 'Puck', portrayed by Trish Lindström waking from what appears to be a strange nightmare, only for it to seemingly turn into a dream where she is levitating. This back and forth between dream and nightmare is a great metaphor for what many of the characters in this play grapple with throughout their 'night' in the forest. Lindström's Puck is fun as she immediately breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges that it has "been a long time" since the audience has been able to see a show. The fact that it is light out, and the exact forecast for the day are also cited. At one point a loud car or plane passed by and she followed it with a pointed finger as she continued delivering her monologue. I couldn't even tell if this was ad libbed or just very convenient, but it immediately had me enamoured with her bizarre and chaotic energy. Like most of her fellow players, Lindström takes on more than one role as she also portrays Egeus. Her hat and colourful wig come off to remove Egeus' grey and balding head - noting to audiences that no one is trying to fool anyone here and the quick changes made by most of the actors that we will witness in front of us throughout the show, are part of the fun of this 'dream.' Actors also take their turns helping to create sound effects as well - often with random objects and tools sprinkled around the outside of the stage.

The four lovers - Hermia, Lysander, Demetrious, and Helena are portrayed by Eva Foote, Micah Woods, Jonathan Mason, and Amaka Umeh respectively. All four actors are from the Festival's Birmingham Conservatory and all four are excellent at portraying the delightfully bizarre love...square (?) that starts out complex and is even further compounded by some mischievous fairies. In addition to these main roles, all four also have the challenging job of portraying fairies and members of the acting troupe of Mechanicals who are attempting to put on a play for the Theseus, the Duke of Athens (Craig Lauzon) and his fiancee Hippolyta (Bahareh Yaraghi). Also pulling double duty are Lauzon Yaraghi who are also Oberon and Titania in the play. Rounding out the cast is André Sills who is fantastic as Nick Bottom the weaver - the most...passionate member of the acting troupe who lacks self awareness but makes up for it with confidence. He finds himself turned into an Ass as part of a plot by Oberon who intends to use a spell to make Titania fall in love with him and embarrass herself. Pasyk turns this plotline on its head however, when it is revealed that Titania is well aware of this intended prank and plays into it to make Oberon jealous. This is communicated clearly without even adding dialogue - mainly due to strong performances by Lauzon and Yaraghi) and makes for a nice new layer. It also makes it clear that Titania's actions are consensual.

Even though the title of the play specifies that it takes place during the night, it felt rather fitting to see all the hijinks ensue on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in July. At one point, Puck is calling out to the audience from up on a hill outside the canopy and then cheekily taking pictures of the play-within-a-play on her phone. Considering that on a nearby hill there was actually a passerby trying to do the same thing through a fence, this was an absolutely perfect moment.

There was one acting/directing choice that felt unnecessary. Late in the play, when Oberon is telling Puck to leave and Puck doesn't want to, Puck does a series of comedic things to delay her exit. One of which is a brief imitation of someone with a physical disability. With all the choices Lindström brings to the frenetic energy of this character, this moment probably would not have even stood out had it not received loud laughter from a handful of audience members. It felt like disability was being mocked for no apparent reason and left a bad taste in my mouth. I admittedly may have missed some context that allowed this very brief moment to make more sense, but despite appreciating so many aspects of this production, I do feel the need to point out this one criticism.

An additional character in this play is very much the sound and music. As audience members find their seats before the play begins, they may note that the music playing consists only of songs with the word "dream" in the lyrics. From Supertramp's Dreamer to All I have to do is Dream by the Everly Brothers, and several more, this is a fun touch. Throughout the play, music and sound help to maintain this feeling that we are all in a dream. Composer and Sound Designer Reza Jacobs is incredibly creative in finding ways to incorporate unique sounds into this dreamscape - with some effects even being live and performed by the actors.

This production of MIDSUMMER is a magical experience with a strong cast. It closes on August 1st and audiences can be added to the waitlist at www.stratfordfestival.ca

Photo Credit: David Hou

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