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THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
Excerpts from the review by Elizabeth Maupin.
Lysander (Tim Williams) and Hermia (Heather Leonardi)
Some sorcerer must have sprinkled pixie dust over the amphitheater at Lake Eola Park one night last weekend, where in A Midsummer Night's Dream, young lovers courted and fairies frolicked without a single interruption from a low-flying helicopter, a belching motorcycle or even a trumpeting pair of swans.
And that magic has had its way with the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival's production of this popular comedy, a loony entertainment with a touch of beautiful gravity amid all the dizzy goings-on.
This Midsummer is the third go the festival has had with Shakespeare's tale of bickering fairy monarchs, addlebrained workingmen and dueling pairs of lovers, who turned up on the Walt Disney Amphitheater stage at the lake in 1992 and again in 1998.
Fans may remember both of those earlier shows as zeroing in on the rustic workingmen, the "rude mechanicals" -- Jim Helsinger, in his debut season, playing Francis Flute as a macho heavy-metal type in the earlier production; Philip Nolen as a talkative twit of a Bottom in the latter. But the current staging, directed by Helsinger with the help of associate director David Lee, takes a more evenhanded approach, and as a result you come to know just about everyone, from Timothy Williams's cocksure little Lysander and Heather Leonardi's spoiled-child Hermia to Esau Pritchett's untamed Oberon, king of the fairies, and Christopher Patrick Mullen's dogged, discombobulated Puck.
Helsinger, who also directed the Asian-influenced 1998 edition, has set this version of Midsummer in 1960s Greece... There -- in Athens and the more mysterious wilds around it -- the duke Theseus prepares to marry Hippolyta, Lysander and Demetrius quarrel over Hermia and Helena, the mechanicals rehearse a wedding play, and the fairies create royal havoc, with everybody falling for the wrong person and Nick Bottom turned into an ass.
Helsinger and Lee's comedic flair shows up in the young lovers' foray into the wild, where Lysander and Hermia turn up like tourists, on a nifty little Vespa, shielded in sunglasses and wielding a map. (The Vespa wouldn't start on opening night but since then has made all its cues.) As the young lovers lose their inhibitions, they also lose most of their clothes: David Hardie, whose bare-chested Demetrius is a soldier, looks brawny and single-minded in his uniform pants; Leonardi's Hermia turns prim; and Mindy Anders' sniveling, buttoned-up Helena grows all the more desperate as she finds herself in a thin little slip.
At the same time, though, you get a sense of the characters as real people, and the result makes them more vivid than ever they were before. That approach has worked beautifully: You feel the erotic connection between Tafler's Hippolyta and Pritchett's Theseus... You appreciate the idiocy of the cloyingly happy Lysander and Hermia, and you laugh when it turns sour -- when Williams'enchanted Lysander turns to Helena but approaches her with his same masculine over-confidence.
You sense the keen-eyed animal nature of Pritchett's Oberon, who gets his way by baring his teeth and breathing his hot animal breath. And you sympathize with the struggles of Mullen's wonderfully neurotic Puck, who is driven to do Oberon's bidding but whose sense of direction is somewhat lacking.... DePlanche makes a nicely vainglorious Pyramus in the play-within-a-play, who drags out his death scene to epic proportions and manages to cut off every one of his own limbs. And he's right as a cocky, crowd-pleasing Bottom, although he might want to save his rampant tongue-wagging for the next time he's cast as a member of Kiss.
Clearly Bottom isn't the only lunatic in this daftly funny production, in which Theseus' end-of-play speech about "the lunatic, the lover and the poet" has never seemed so apt. There's plenty of lunacy in the Shakespeare Festival's production, lots of love and more than a little poetry. Look at the way the light shines golden on Titania's woodsy bower. Feel the inspired fervor with which these young lovers coo and quarrel. Listen to the quiet as Mullen's Puck sheds his pointy ears and horns and beard and becomes just an actor asking for a bit of applause. If that's not dreamy, I don't know what is.
The Orlando Weekly
Excerpts from the review by Al Krulick
Helena (Mindy Anders), Demetrious (David hardie), Hermia (Heather Leonardi) and Lysander (Tim Williams)
The Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival is getting its money's worth out of Shakespeare's timeless comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. OSF's current production, at the Walt Disney Amphitheater alongside Lake Eola, is the third rendering of the play the troupe has performed – and the second mounted by Jim Helsinger, the company's artistic director... and though an April evening at the lakeside can be decidedly un-midsummery, the play's delirious plot, its fantastical characters, its themes of romance and friendship and its spectacular settings – courtesy of scenic designer Joseph Rusnock and lighting designer Eric T. Haugen – provide just the right amount of extra warmth on a chilly spring night.
For those not conversant with the play, its machinations bounce with ease and fancy between the fairy world of the woods and the farcical world of humans. The romantic characters are a pair of noble Athenian youths, Lysander (Timothy Williams) and Demetrius (David Hardie), and their counterparts, the beautiful (but short) Hermia (Heather Leonardi) and her best friend, the geeky Helena (Mindy Anders). Love and loathing abound as the couples enter into a roundelay that's begun in painful earnestness.
Their dance of desire soon becomes confused, though, due to the incompetent meddling of some forest folk – namely Oberon, King of the Fairies (Esau Pritchett), and Puck, his pixie slave (Christopher Patrick Mullen) – who, among other pursuits, delight in dousing sleepers' eyes with magical flora that make them fall in love with the first being they see upon awakening. A third storyline concerns a sextet of clownish tradesmen who are hoping to entertain Theseus, the King of Athens (Pritchett again), and his fiancee, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons (Jean Tafler), at their upcoming nuptials.
A successful production of this romantic comedy depends upon savvy casting and a physically charged performance style that can make the most out of Shakespeare's fast-paced action. Helsinger and his associate director, David Lee, have scored exceedingly well on both counts. The members of the ensemble are all nearly pitch-perfect ... (Helsinger) has cooked up a brace of funny and fun comic routines that bubble up from Shakespeare's slapstick cauldron.
The four lovers, whose relationship dynamics take a little while to ratchet up, get to shine in the latter scenes of the play, as they discharge their pent-up sexual proclivities with outlandish physicality. When Hardie's Demetrius rips off his shirt while challenging Williams' Lysander to a brawl, his testosterone-laced chicken dance telegraphs the passionate silliness inherent in the play's romantic meanderings. Leonardi's explosive catfighting, set off by derisive comments about her diminutive stature, is also delightful.
Pritchett is a magnificent Oberon, utilizing his Mr. Universe physique, mellifluous baritone, withering gaze and reptilian mien to great effect. Mullen, who gave a powerfully idiosyncratic performance as Hamlet some years back, makes a frenzied, acrobatic Puck; we believe that he could indeed "put a girdle 'round about the earth in 40 minutes." Even Mustardseed, one of the forest fairies, gets a spirited and ingratiating portrayal (from company stalwart Sarah Hankins) – as do all the woodland denizens.
But the evening's comedy award goes to the actor with the plum role of Bottom, the brash would-be player whose continual ability to make an ass of himself becomes all too real in the magical atmosphere of the wood. Brad DePlanche's performance is a triumph: His timing is impeccable, his vocal agility staggering and his manic inventiveness suggestive of the daring brilliance of clown/comedians like Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters. He's a Bottom to top any night – midsummer's or otherwise.
INK 19 Magazine
Excerpts from the review by Carl Gauze.
Theseus (Esau Pritchett) and Hippolyta (Jean Tafler)
The cold breath of winter recedes, and it's safe to go outside for an evening's entertainment. Our northern relations regard us as wusses down here, but it's over 60 and Orlando UCF's Shakespeare in the Park always heralds the first true mark of spring. Tonight we enjoy the perennial favorite "Midsummer Night's Dream", a tale of crossed love and poorly dispensed medication.
In the court of Duke Theseus (Esau Prichett), businesslike Lysander (Timothy William) falls in love with perky Hermia (Heather Leonardi) who is naturly betrothed to stern Demetrius (David Hardie). It's marry him or die, so Hermia and Lysander head for the woods while prim Helena (Mindy Anders) futilely chases Demetrius. All end up in the wild woods where fairies and sprites abound, and the local community theater crowd has come to rehearse.
Fairies have their own problems, and King Oberon (Pritchett) is on the outs with his queen Titanian (Jean Tafler), and employs Puck (Christopher Mullen) to rub magic flower juice on everyone's eyes so they will fall in or out of love as the plot demands. The local theater ham Bottom (Brad DePlanche) annoys Puck. Puck gets his goat undies in a bunch, throws spit wads, and then turns Bottom into an ass. Ok, he was mostly there to start with, but the ears are a nice touch. Well, you know the result, more magic flower juice straightens out the sex, and the community theater group gets through its lines while the audience goes "Oh, they tried so hard…"
Enough plot. Despite some oddities in their Greek orthography, the OUCFSF pulls off another stylish production. The show was stolen again by Brad DePlanche with his over the top antics and wonderful timing. His little play within a play company took their unpromising material and pulled gales of laughter out of it by just pushing their text as far a bad taste would allow. All four of the main lovers looked the part, but Heather Leonardi Hermia took a hysterical Valley Girl approach to the role, petting and preening a straight faced Tim Williams. Esau Pritchett seemed shocked at the ferocity of Athenian law, and seemed unwilling to bend it to reason, even though that would have killed all the motivation for the story. When he stepped into his Oberon role, he became much more menacing, although he did have a habit of spreading magic by massive exhalations. Weird things happened onstage when he breathed, and one ought to consider Bottom's little speech about actors not eating garlic or onions before going to work.
It's bright, fun, and fluffy, the weather cooperated, and the city was politely quite all evening. It was a perfect start to the summer.
FLORIDA TODAY
By Pam Harbaugh
Bottom (Brad DePlanche) and Mustardseed (Sarah Hankins
No matter how many times you have seen "A Midsummer Night's Dream," you won't see a funnier one, or a more well-oiled production of rococo madness than that by the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival.
In fact, this romantic comedy has been polished to its full brilliance with an abundance of humor, energy, guffaws and fluffy silliness designed to delight.
For sure, Jim Helsinger's exuberant direction is inspired and funny, allowing for a wide range of elaborate acting from his clever cast.
Updated here to 1960s Athens, the comedy concerns comic dysfunction between three pairs of lovers, magic potions, fairies, slapstick rustics rehearsing a silly play and, eventually, reconciliation.
Timothy Williams is a perfect Lysander, all nerdy and gawky. Even pulling out a map when
Lysander gets lost in a haunted forest becomes an exercise of sublime humor in the hands of Williams.
His love interest, Hermia, played with squeaky gusto by Heather Leonardi, is naive and pert and all sorority girl who speaks through her little stuffed animal but quickly shows her claws when she fears someone is trying to steal Lysander away.
Hot on their heels are Demetrius, who is in love with Hermia, and Helena, who is in love with Demetrius. Demetrius, played by David Hardie, spurns Helena, played with articulate precision by Mindy Anders, in her best performance yet since she was Lisabette in the Mad Cow Theatre's "Anton in Show Business."
Esau Pritchett, last year's Othello, is a commanding actor who gets to let loose on this larger stage in the role of Oberon, the king of the fairies. His right hand satyr is Puck, portrayed with fleet-hoofed alacrity and wit by Christopher Patrick Mullen. As Titania, the alluring fairy queen, Jean Tafler is a hoot when she falls in love with Bottom, a lowly worker from Athens who is turned into an ass by Puck.
The image of the two of them, being lulled to sleep on the oh-so-beautiful bough created by scenic designer Joseph Rusnock, is sheer bliss.
And what a Bottom we have thanks to the richly embroidered performance by an energetic Brad DePlanche. My heavens. He's like Nathan Lane on steroids. DePlanche spins, jumps, mugs, apes and does Shakespeare schtick.
DePlanche's cohorts, Patrick Flick, Brandon Roberts, Michael Gill, Michael Plummer and Timothy Shane are knee slapping funny in their roles of the rustics who perform a play for the Duke and Duchess on their wedding day.
While Helsinger is expansive with physical humor, he also focuses on one of the play's theme -- nature.
Helsinger paints Oberon and his male fairies as animalistic, Titania and her fairies as flowery. Together, they create the wondrous flora and fauna of mystery and love.
Rusnock, lighting designer Eric T. Haugen and costume designer Rebecca Baygents Turk lavish the outdoor stage by Lake Eola with a rich backdrop for the classic story. Just as the forest is populated by sprightly spirits, the stage is festooned with color: pinks collide with blues, mixing with lavenders melting into greens all billowing in soft, cool breezes supplied by Mother Nature.
This is a perfect production for Shakespeare newbies. It looks beautiful, the actors make the language immediately understandable, and the direction is wildly funny. If you leave this show without a good laugh, then the world is just too much with you.
The Lakeland Ledger
By Michael Freeman
Thisby (Michael Gill), The Wall (Michael Plummer) and Pyramus (Brad De Planche)
ORLANDO The real star of the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival's new version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" wasn't even on stage.
That's not to say the actors in the outdoor production at Orlando's Lake Eola Park are anything to sneeze at. Timothy Williams' facial expressions, body tics and frantic hand gestures are so much fun to watch that at times it's hard to remember you're seeing Shakespeare. Then there's Ron Schneider, whose thunderous voice and commanding presence is a real joy, or Esau Pritchett, who has a similarly electric presence on stage.
Their good work, though, ultimately served to remind me that it was director Jim Helsinger who did the casting, and who pumped so much energy and creativity into the production. This is Shakespeare for the Shakespeare-aphobic among us.
You know who you are: the ones who envision any production of the Bard's work to be a colossal bore in the making, a two-hour torturefest of ponderous, long-winded speeches that are hard to follow and downright boring to listen to. You secretly wonder if the folks who attend Shakespearean plays really hate it as well, but force themselves to go simply for snob appeal.
Helsinger's charming mix of comedy and fantasy is far removed from the notion of some windbag blurting out, "To be or not to be . . ." in a coma-inducing way. Helsinger's production had the audience at Lake Eola repeatedly laughing out loud, in part because he and his performers were never afraid to be downright silly -- but in a good way, one that might make Benny Hill, the Marx Brothers or the Monty Python gang proud.
This is particularly true during the first act, when Bottom the Weaver, a member of a group of rustic workmen organizing an amateur play, gets transformed into a donkey. He ends up enchanting Titania, the queen of the fairies, and even sings to her. Brad DePlanche, who plays Bottom, got more laughs from his tortured attempts at singing than just about anyone else in the play.
For the uninitiated, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" begins with preparations for the wedding of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. The plans get interrupted by Egeus, father of Hermia, who demands that his daughter marry his favored choice for a son-in-law, Demetrius -- or choose between death and a nunnery.
Lysander, Hermia's true beau, asks her to flee with him into the forest, where they can elope. Hermia's best friend Helena learns of their plans but doesn't show much in the way of loyalty -- she rats them out to Demetrius. Of course, the fact that Helena secretly loves Demetrius may be a key motivating factor here.
Meanwhile, Bottom and his troupe prepare a play to be performed at the wedding, while in the forest, Titania and Oberon, king of the fairies, clash repeatedly. So Oberon asks his servant Puck to get a magical flower that will make Titania fall in love with the first creature she sees. So along comes Bottom, transformed into a donkey by the mischievous Puck . . . .
As Williams and DePlanche compete for the title of best scene stealer, Helsinger and the production crew manage to create a dreamy, captivating fantasy world in the forest, where fairies dance and Oberon roars down upon his servants. The play is set in Athens in the 1960s, so some of the performers wear modern clothing.
The Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival performed a similar trick last year with their production of Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure," which combined slapstick comedy, cabaret-style songs, and commentary about the abuse of power, the rights of women, and religious hypocrisy -- a real eclectic mix. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" offers comedy that's funnier than anything on the TV sitcoms these days, with sex appeal courtesy of a few bare-chested hunks, like Pritchett and David B. Hardie as Demetrius. I give Helsinger credit for this; he's never short on ideas.
The Lake Eola Amphitheater is a great choice for this production, although I must admit that on the night I attended the show, temperatures had dropped down into the low 60s, clouds hovered above with an ever-present threat of rain, and cold winds off the lake made it feel downright chilly. I envied the actors, even the ones in little more than skimpy tights, for being able to run around acrobatically on stage to stay warm. It was an odd reminder that even in tropical Central Florida, the weather can be unexpectedly temperamental.
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Last Updated: 05/06/2007 Copyright Orlando Shakespeare Theater |
