Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Presented by Folger Theater at The National Building Museum

This summer, DMV theatergoers have a wide choice of different shows to go and see. William Shakespeare's classic play A Midsummer Night's Dream questions what it means to love and to dream. With such universal themes, this play is constantly produced so, what makes this production stand out among the rest?

Folger Theater's A Midsummer Night's Dream is majestic and enchanting. This production, produced in the monumental National Building Museum, gives a breath of fresh air to this classic tale. Any worries about the show being swallowed by this ambitious venue drift away as audiences are immersed into the story walking through 'The Playhouse' into their seats. Director of scenic design and creator of 'The Playhouse', Tony Cisek along with Yael Lubetzky, lighting designer, create a space that blends worlds seamlessly. Lubetzky illuminates this entire space, impeccably aware of the vast atrium and 150ft+ ceilings in the National Building Museum. The work of Cisek and Lubetzky is comprehensive, complimenting the architecture surrounding them with not one detail forgotten. Olivera Gajic's costumes are just as marvelous, also contributing to the voluminous scale of this production. Gajic's colorful creations span a wide spectrum from skirts draping from second stories to sleek everyday streetwear. The National Building Museum is truly grand, supporting a cast and creative team that does the same.

The direction of this production by Victor Malana Maog sets this classic story in a contemporary frame. Expect highly trained actors and masterful Shakespearean speech, but also expect these rules to be broken. This 90-minute adaptation has been dissected and recomposed to highlight love in all its forms as passionate, envious, lustful, beautiful, complicated, abusive, farcical, and even boundless. Maog plays heavily with the idea of a dream-space letting the audience and actors fall in and out of their reality including hilarious comedy and emotional climaxes framed by modern speech, movements, and music. Movement and music are two of the most unique things about this production. Choreography by Alexandra Beller and Sound Design & Original Music by brandon wolcott convince all audiences that this story is meant to be melodic. These elements bring out new vulnerabilities and quirks in each character.

This ensemble of actors is highly talented featuring stunning local and national performers. Jacob Ming-Trent (Bottom), John Floyd (Flute), John-Alexander Sakelos (Peter Quince), Brit Herring (Snout), Sabrina Sawyer (Snug), and Kathryn Zoerb (Starveling) steal the show being equally hysterical, playing bumbling actors as they are eerie, playing a group of fairies. Bryan Barbarin (Demetrius), Renea Brown (Helena), Lilli Hokama (Hermia), and Hunter Ringsmith (Lysander) interpretation of the lovers is inventive, finding the humanity and humility at the core of these very well-known characters. Rotimi Agbabiaka (Theseus and Oberon), Nubia M. Monks (Hippolyta and Titania) and Danaya Esperanza (Puck and Egeus) all doubling roles bring these shifting worlds and realities together, commenting on the juxtapositions between them while creating distinct characterizations and hierarchies that are essential to this story.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a whimsical and wondrous production that stands out among the rest. This production's combination of the classical and the contemporary will be loved by longtime fans and those who have never experienced it before. A Midsummer Night's Dream presented by Folger Theater is playing at the National Building Museum from July 12th to August 28th. The show is 90 minutes with no intermission and tickets are $20 - $85 to be purchased at the Folger Theater Box Office, at www.folger.edu/theater, or (202) 554-7077. Proof of vaccination and a well-fitting mask is required for entry.

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