“A Midsummer Nights Dream” Play Review

By Thomas Warloe, Staff Writer

“A Midsummer Night\’s Dream” is a play that lets people see an accurate representation of one of Shakespeare\’s works without having to read the book itself.  It is mainly about the problems which a couple encounters when the bride\’s mother would like her to marry a man who loves her, but one that she has no feelings for. The plot becomes increasingly more interesting and complicated as the play progresses.  The acting was of very high quality, and the cast was able to find ways around minor problems which they encountered.  The stage design appeared to be very intricately designed, and it had a semi-realistic feel to it.  While the script appeared to be taken right out of Shakespeare\’s original play, the actors\’ vivid emotions and execution of the play helped it to come alive.  Overall, “A Midsummer Night\’s Dream” is a high-quality production that any Shakespeare enthusiast would love.

The actors in this play were amazing, not only because of their ability to completely memorize one of Shakespeare\’s works, but also for their ability to bring the play to life and to find their way around small problems.  One particular part of acting that stood out was in the end of the play when the lovers are being controlled by Puck.  When she moves her arms, their bodies move in fluid movements, almost as if a magical spirit was flowing through them.  Another part about the play that I was impressed by was the ability of the actors to go around the obstacles that they encountered.  For example, one of the actors who had a semi-key role was not able to make it because of an accident, and a substitute filled in.  Though the substitute actor was using a script book, her acting was of very high quality, and I was amazed by her ability to convey her emotions and actions with only a few glances at the script. The ability to adapt to new problems and the excellent acting made the actors of this play a part that stood out above the rest.

The stage design mimicked a forest, and it was very well portrayed.  All of the details were present, from tree stumps artistically created from newspaper, to the moss that grew in the shade of the trees.  The set had the appearance of one that had received hours of dedicated commitment to time-consuming tasks in order to ensure that everything was just perfect.  There was however, a downfall to the stage.  While this scene was so intricately designed, the fact that it was used for e very scene in the entire play detracted from its overall looks.  However, given that this play occurred in a classroom as opposed to a theater, the stage did a wonderful job of bringing the audience into the story despite not having much space to act in.

The script, while decent, appeared to be taken right out of Shakespeare\’s original play.  This somewhat took away from the play, as I was expecting more modern language as opposed to the Shakespearian dialogue used in the play.  Since the play went at a moderately fast tempo, I found it necessary to study the actors\’ movements and emotions in order to thoroughly understand exactly what was going on.  Yet, again the actors\’ amazing display of talent made the play come to life.  Though their vivid emotions and actions, the actors brought the audience back in time to view this play.

“A Midsummer Night\’s Dream” was a production which included many major aspects of a professionally produced play.  The acting was superb, and the audience laughed with the characters, and felt their sorrows when things went wrong.  The stage was a quality piece of work, despite the same scene being used for the duration of the play.  And the script, though typically Shakespearian, helped the play move along.  “A Midsummer Night\’s Dream” is a fantastic performance by the FVHS Theater Group.