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Peer Reviews A Marvelous “Midsummer” at
the Rud Entire contents are copyright © A.S. Waterman. All rights reserved.
Oh, that quirky, irrepressible Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble! They've done it again — knocked our socks off with an innovative and astounding theatrical creation that is sheer delight. In its madcap production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Rudyard Kipling, six gifted actors — Heather Burns, Tony Dingman, Abigail Bailey Maupin, Greg Maupin, Kristie Rolape and Kyle Ware — render multiple roles seamlessly, armed only with facemasks, occasional hand props and an amazing capacity for humor and physicality. It may take a few moments for the audience to reorient as to which characters are being played, but that's all part of the fun. Perhaps the most popular among Shakespeare's comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream weaves an Athenian love quadrangle, meddlesome fairies and rough-tradesmen-turned-thespians into a complex web of hopelessly implausible story lines. Demetrius and Lysander love Hermia but are bewitched into loving Helena, who blames Hermia. To win in a marital squabble, fairy king Oberon has fairy queen Titania bewitched into falling in love with an ass (literally). That ass has wandered in from a cadre of working-class folk who are rehearsing a classical Greek tragedy to perform for the Duke of Athens and his bride who, of course, are former lovers of Oberon and Titania. And rogue fairy Puck thrives on amplifying the mischief. The confluence can be cloying in unskilled hands. However, Le Petomane promises an intriguing new take on it all, and they deliver one.
The show's promotional announcement read, "6 actors. 16 masks. 4 puppets. And everybody plays Puck." (Actually, I misinterpreted that to mean that everybody in the room plays Puck, and was nervously awaiting my turn. However, I was pleased to discover that this only meant everyone in the cast.) The masks themselves are a bit scary, with some turning traditionally beautiful characters (such as Oberon and Titania) ugly in a twisted fashion reminiscent of The Twilight Zone's famous "Eye of the Beholder" episode (1960). Molded of neoprene and specially designed for this production, the masks add a layer of complexity to the actors' challenge by obscuring their facial expressions. Yet all six players rise splendidly to the occasion. The four hand-puppets, cast as Titania's fairy courtiers, add a charming touch as well. To dwell on who does what would be to give away too much that should come as a surprise. Suffice it to say that there is no standout performer in this production because all perform beautifully. More importantly, Le Petomane's rendering of the Bard reminds us that his works were the popular entertainment of his day, and that they can be just as entertaining now. It is faithful to Shakespeare, treating his play with respect while not allowing it to take itself too seriously. An accessible production played for laughs in a casual setting (indeed, one can't get much more casual than the Rud, where the tables wobble and the chairs squeak loudly during the performance), it nonetheless radiates sheer brilliance. The result is a night of true theatre, in all its ramifications, and one that is thoroughly enjoyable. Le Petomane’s A Midsummer Night's Dream is traditional yet daring, classical yet modern, and timeless yet in-the-minute. Does this sound like a series of contradictions? It is, and so much the better. See it — or, rather, see them all — before this magical dream fades into the night.
A Midsummer Night's Dream Posted Apr. 21, 2008
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