Scads of explicit sex, almost too much for the eyes to bear. Hour after hour of horrific violence. Buckets of commensurate gore. Oh, and thermonuclear conflict.
None of the foregoing could be seen in the Victoria College Drama Society’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed at the Isabel Bader Theatre. Nevertheless, it was still a good production and a delight to watch.
The primary strength of the play was casting; as in any university production, the cast is uneven in places, but the subplots and their characters have been cast to ensure that there is always someone worth watching onstage. Standout performances included Shahriar Ahmad as Oberon, King of Fairies. His substantial stage presence unfortunately had to battle with a costume fit for a 60s-era Marvel Superhero. Decked out, he looked like he’d unexpectedly ingested way too much acid before dressing. Fortunately, this was not typical of most of the costumes, which were both simple and effective. His opposite, Titania, as played by Alexandra Seay, was an excellent match and provided a challenging counterpoint to his confident demeanor.
Overall, the one ensemble that gelled the most was the Players, whose comic chemistry and timing were flawless. Particularly, Gavin Enns as Quince and Jamie Snell as Snout stole scenes with their respectively exasperated and hilarious composure. The Lovers also came alive during the third act, their physical interplay and slapstick direction conjuring energy that was delightful to watch.
Unfortunately, the Lovers all seemed to need some time to warm to their roles. As the night went on, though, all got into the swing of things, with a notable improvement from Sarah Millermaier as Hermia. Sadly, one detracting factor during the Lovers’ scenes was Louis Adams’ Demetrius. Alternating between swallowing and gargling his lines, he proved visually and orally unconvincing, particularly when compared to the withering physicality exuded by Luc DeBruin’s Lysander.
Another pair of lovers in the play was unevenly matched: though Theseus, played by Jason DeLuca, had the lion’s share of lines, he was consistently upstaged by Hippolyta, Zahra Awang’s confident profile doing far more with silence than DeLuca’s flat delivery could with the Bard’s immortal lines.
The two solo roles, Bottom and Puck, suffered from the same malady—lack of contrast. Though Andrew Galley is a dead ringer for a wood fairy, his constant gesticulating and overly bombastic delivery distract from his actual lines. By not changing emotions, he turned Puck into a bit of a caricature. The same with James Taylor’s Bottom—in fact, Taylor’s role was at its best when contained within his ass, so to speak. There are undoubtedly those to whom these specific performances will appeal, such as Jim Carrey fanatics and so forth, but most will be turned off by their manic monotone.
In sum, good casting, well-made sets, fine costumes (with one exception) and respectable lighting combined with some solid ensemble acting to produce a fine finished product. It’s said in sports that a good team and a great team can both have equal strength, but a great team is determined by its ability to conceal weaknesses. In this respect, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a truly great cast—strong, and smart.
