A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Open Fist Theatre Company 2022 Production) Theatre Review

Shakespeare is always relevant, and his plays can work equally well when set in different times. Open Fist Theatre Company’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Atwater Village Theatre moves the action to the deep south in the mid-1800s, during the time of slavery. As you might expect, this version of the Dream has a more serious tone at times than most productions, as it addresses a serious topic. But the text remains in place, and so there are plenty of laughs. In fact, this production contains one of the funniest sequences involving the four lovers that I’ve ever seen. That itself becomes interesting, because it reminds us that plantation owners still went about their own lives, often heedless of the damage they were causing. And the distinction between the world of the whites and the world of the blacks at this time is apparent from the moment the audience enters the theatre, for the stage is essentially divided into two sections. Upstage center is part of a white column, creating the sense of one of those plantation mansions. To the left of that column, from the audience’s perspective, is the interior of the home, with a drink cart, wood hutch, trunk, a bear skin rug, and a hunting trophy mounted on the wall. To the right of that column, again from the audience’s perspective, is the exterior of a wooden shed, along with some crates and a barrel. Downstage of those is part of a tree with rope hanging from it. The difference between the two places is extreme, and yet most of the action takes place in the middle of it all, blurring the lines, for their lives of course did intersect.

As the performance begins, the characters are introduced through choreographed movement, which also works to set up the differences between the groups of people. Then Theseus (Bryan Bertone) is seated, being shaved by a slave. Hippolyta (Heather Mitchell) seems already a part of the plantation, so we lose some of the sense of her being a warrior who was wooed with Theseus’ sword, though those lines are still spoken. Theseus is dressed in a white suit and holds a cigar, and for a moment I am reminded of Boss Hogg. When Egeus (Alexander Wells) enters, he carries a gun, and pushes Hermia in front of him. Hermia (Sandra Kate Burck) falls to the floor, where she remains in tears until Lysander (Dylan Wittrock) gently offers her his hand. It is a nice touch that Lysander, and not Demetrius (Devon Armstrong), is quick to aid her, establishing immediately which is the better pairing. Lysander boldly shows his pistol after delivering his line about Demetrius possessing Hermia’s father’s love. Then Egeus escalates things by threatening Lysander with his gun, until Theseus puts a stop to it, which then gives more weight to his “private schooling for you both” line. Interestingly, while this action is occurring, farther upstage, just beyond the column and white picket fence, black people go about their work, picking cotton, completely ignored and likewise ignoring what is happening with the white folks within. Though we don’t get the sense of Hippolyta as a warrior, she does exit on her own, showing she doesn’t need Theseus, which is nice.

Hermia appears truly worried, her eyes wet with tears, when she speaks with Lysander. She is then surprised at Lysander’s plan, and gives it some thought before suddenly showing elation, a wonderful moment. When Helena (Ann Marie Wilding) enters behind them, she is reading a book and is unnoticed by the two lovers. When they begin to kiss, she turns around to leave, and it is then that they see her. Hermia is absolutely great when describing Demetrius’ actions and her own to Helena. This is a strong cast, but Sandra Kate Burck is particularly good.

The Mechanicals are black, with the one exception of Peter Quince (Debba Rofheart), who wishes to help them and has a special soft spot for Bottom. When Bottom (Michael A. Shepperd) asks if his character is “a lover or a tyrant,” it is clear he wants to the answer to be tyrant, and is momentarily disappointed when told he’ll be playing a lover. And we wonder then if he wishes for just once to be a man with power, even if only on the stage. Bottom is hilarious when trying to also get the part of Thisby. Because two of the Mechanicals are women, it is confusing why one of the men would be given the part of Thisby while one of the women is given the part of Pyramus’s father (and eventually plays Wall). Why wouldn’t they be handed the opposite roles? Snug (Azeem Vecchio) is endearing when expecting to be handed a scroll but receiving none. The line “That would hang us, every mother’s son,” spoken by them all, carries a tremendous amount of weight in this production, because we know that danger is real.

The magical characters of the play are likewise all black, with actors playing the Mechanicals also taking on roles as the fairies. Puck’s introduction is beautifully choreographed, with magic present right from the start. The changeling boy in this production is an infant, Titania (Ash Saunders) carrying him in her arms when she enters. The magical characters have plain, poor clothes, mostly in shades of beige and brown, certainly not the usual costuming. Titania shows her power over Puck (Monazia Smith), freezing him in place. Then Oberon (Phillip C. Curry) casts his own magic over Titania, which works only briefly before Titania speaks of the changeling boy’s mother. While Oberon and Titania may currently be at odds with one another, there is a wonderful moment when Titania holds out her hand to Oberon, offering the line “And see our moonlight revels, go with us” gently and lovingly. And it is in that moment that we see the heart of their relationship. She waits until she is leaving before freeing Puck. Then Oberon turns toward where Titania had exited, directing his “or woman madly dote” at her, or at her absence, another nice touch. There is an excellent moment when Oberon gets the flower from Puck, producing it in his hand before Puck can even hand it to him. Interestingly, the fairies’ song is not sung by Titania’s fairies. The first verse is sung by Puck, while Oberon then takes the verse about spiders before putting the magic flower on Titania.

Helena steals a kiss from Demetrius during their chase. Both actors are fantastic here, particularly on the lines about “mischief.” When Lysander and Hermia enter, Lysander is carrying a map or written directions, which he glances at. Lysander and Hermia also kiss, that kiss being in contrast to the one between Helena and Demetrius. Puck’s delivery of “On the dank and dirty ground” is hilarious, the joy and excitement of finding them disappearing when noticing the dirty ground upon which they lie. Lysander springs awake and gets right on top of Helena. There is another wonderful moment when Lysander grabs his coat as he exits. That coat had been used by Hermia as a pillow, and he pulls it out from under her with nary a thought of her well-being. That is what then wakes her. Hermia is again excellent in this scene.

When Bottom next enters, he is at first frightened before gathering himself to deliver the line, “Are we all met?” It is a strong moment, again making apparent the danger they are in. Bottom is fantastic when coming up with the solution regarding the lion, giving a captivating and truthful performance. While it still seems odd to me that the woman playing Wall wouldn’t instead play Thisby, it does allow for a funny moment when Bottom says “Some man or other must present Wall,” stressing the word “other” and meaning “woman.” This scene is a total delight. As for the transformation, Bottom is given donkey ears and a nose. He is hilarious when he stands still for an extended moment after saying he will not stir from this place. Titania enters behind him when he sings, and she dances to his song, which is absolutely wonderful. She also laughs at his jokes, which surprises Bottom. Both Bottom and Titania deliver strong and nuanced performances. And Puck is a delight as he describes to Oberon how Titania fell in love with an ass. Puck gives a lively, energetic and excited performance that is a joy to watch. Titania’s bower is the set of the interior of the plantation home, and Bottom is seated where Theseus was at the beginning, which is interesting, particularly considering a later moment during the Mechanicals’ performance. He is even handed a drink from the drink cart.

As I mentioned earlier, the scene of confusion among the four lovers is as funny as I’ve ever seen it. They are in their sleeping clothes, and so Lysander and Demetrius are, at least in costume, now identical. Those two are hilarious as they try to pick a flower to present to Helena. They also engage in poses in the hopes of wooing her. All four actors are absolutely wonderful here. Puck takes a whip from the trunk and uses it to cause each of the lovers to sleep, not striking them, but the floor. The last of the lovers to enter is Hermia, and she crawls in, giving the impression that it would take very little magic to make her sleep. But interestingly the whip doesn’t work with her, and for a moment Puck considers using a large rock to knock her out. Puck then exits wearing the whip like a boa. The use of the whip in this fashion is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, when we think of whips and Shakespeare, we generally think of The Taming Of The Shrew, so it comes as a surprise here. But, more importantly, the whip signifies punishment of slaves, so for a black character to not only use it, but to endow it with magical qualities and then to wear it, is to – at least momentarily – remove from it its original power. So it is a compelling image. The lovers do not sleep together in pairs, but singly.

In this production, Philostrate is a slave in the home, played by Monazia Smith, who also plays Puck. It is a striking bit of casting, because it raises the question of whether Puck is the freer, nighttime version of a person who is not at all free during the day. To take it even further, at night she imagines herself a man, and so with even more power and freedom. How much of this is really a dream? Philostrate comes when beckoned by Theseus, but is careful not to make eye contact with him. But then when Philostrate delivers the line, “No, my noble lord,” it is like she forgets herself for a moment, forgets her place, and shouts the “No!” She then quickly averts her eyes again. During the Mechanicals’ performance, Theseus and Hippolyta are seated, with the four lovers just below them. Egeus stands behind, still holding his gun. Quince is hurt by the joking of Theseus and the others. The dumb show is included in this production. Bottom changes his mind about the color of his beard, coming out the second time with a different one, a really nice touch. And he changes his mind again a bit later. But the most remarkable moment during the Mechanicals’ performance comes when Bottom, without thinking, contradicts Theseus about what the Wall should do. Theseus and the lovers are shocked that Bottom has the audacity to not only speak to them, but to contradict Theseus. Theseus has generally had a genial air about him, but this might have crossed a line. For soon after this, when he says “and her passion ends the play,” the line is delivered as a command. And the Mechanicals are not asked to do the epilogue or the dance, and are left standing there, uncertain what to do, when Theseus tells the lovers to go to bed. It is another compelling stage image. Is the dream, for them, now over? But this production gives us one more startling image, when Bottom is shown to be able to see Oberon, Titania and Puck, and then stands with Puck at the very end, revealing something about Puck’s life and relationship to the whip used earlier.

This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was directed by James Fowler. It runs through August 13, 2022. Visit the company’s website, for the complete schedule. There is one fifteen-minute intermission, which comes toward the end of Act III Scene ii. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave. in Los Angeles, California.

production photo by John Dimitri

production photo by Frank Ishman