A Dream for the ages

OLGA LIVSHIN

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the best-known Shakespearean comedies. It’s been staged so many times and in so many languages, it’s hard to add something new. The recent production of Studio 58 under the direction of Scott Bellis managed to add one innovation – a vampire theme. They call it “Shakespeare with bite.”

The vampire twist doesn’t harm the play, which, even in the author’s vision, has been a delightful pastiche of styles and eras, belonging to none but incorporating them all. Whether it benefits the show is doubtful though. The additional lines, not written by Shakespeare, definitely don’t. For some youngsters in the audience, this production might be their first introduction to the Bard. Would they think he wrote about vampires?

Even without the vampires, the Shakespearean story line is rather convoluted, involving three interconnected subplots. In Athens, two young couples in love – not necessarily with the right partner – are chasing each other. In the woods, the king and queen of fairies, Oberon and Titania, are enjoying their royal spat over a beautiful baby. Oberon’s chief troublemaker Puck is running around with a magical flower, tangling the love lines even further. And a bunch of villagers dream of thespian glory, rehearsing a play for their duke’s wedding.

The mishmash of names alone is worth a mention. The names of the teenage lovers belong to ancient Greece. The names of the fairies place the tale into the realm of European folklore during the Renaissance, while the names of the villagers-actors are reminiscent of the later Middle Ages in Britain.

The student production adds to this merry potpourri. The action is transported into the Carpathian Mountains, where Athens morphs into a village circa 1900. Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, becomes a bandit queen. The fairies from Oberon’s and Titania’s retinues turn into vampires and zombies. And everyone, public and actors alike, enjoy the show.

The costumes by Naomi Sider are gorgeous and eclectic, vaguely eastern European for the villagers and inspired by the Japanese Butoh theatre for the fairy folks. The music by Anton Lipovetsky is a compilation of existing and original tunes, serving its purpose as an evocative and ethnic background for a farcical romp in the fantasyland.

The set design by Pam Johnson is atmospheric and functional, constructed between two sections of seats facing each other across the expanse of the floor, aka the stage. The feeling of a student theatre starts in the basement lobby, and continues into the theatre itself, where papier-mâché branches are taped to the railing protecting the seat platforms – but the acting is almost professional, and the Shakespearean text flows smoothly from the lips of the young cast. Whatever the student players lack in acting experience they most certainly compensate by their enthusiasm.

The play within the play performed by the villagers for the duke is especially hilarious, almost hysterical, as the actors frolic for their double audience. Actually, one of the most noticeable aspects of this production is its physicality – lots of tumbling and jumping and slapping and circus. The choreography by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg is outstanding, very well suited for her team of performers who are young and flexible, but clearly not professional dancers.

The unquestionable star of all this capering is Puck, played by Lili Beaudoin. Her corde lisse aerials on the hanging rope enhance the show, and her sheer exuberance is enchanting, but the entire ensemble is good, from the leads to the mute zombie roles. All the actors obviously love the show, and their energy transmits to the audience.

Of all the renditions of this play I’ve seen, this student production was probably the funniest and the most animated, a pure joy to watch.

Despite the jest of the play, the young actors demonstrated their serious attitude towards their chosen profession during the Talkback Tuesday Q&A session after the performance. Without their makeup and costumes, they looked like what they are, students of the 21st century, and that transformation proved the power of the Bard, once again. Even for them, with the Internet at their fingertips, his verses still make magic.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on stage until Oct. 20 at Studio 58. For tickets, visit ticketstonight.ca.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].

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