Midsummer Night Fling

Last night i went to see Daniel Sullivan's (Rabbit Hole, and the Tony award winning Proof) staging of A Midsummer Nights Dream at the Delacorte Theatre in Centeral Park. The cast for A Midsummer Night's Dream includes Opal Alladin (Hippolyta), Jason Antoon (Tom Snout), Chelsea Bacon (First Fairy), Ken Cheeseman (Robin Starveling), Christine Corpuz (Ensemble), Keith David (Oberon), Mireille Enos (Hermia), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Francis Flute), Herb Foster (Philostrate), Simon Garratt (Fairy), Jon Michael Hill (Puck), Erica Huang (Fairy), Ben Huber (Ensemble), Cassady Leonard (Fairy), Austin Lysy (Lysander), Lily Maketanksy (Fairy), George Morfogen (Egeus), Tim Blake Nelson (Peter Quince), Daniel Oreskes (Theseus), Martha Plimpton (Helena), Mallory Portnoy (Ensemble), Laila Robins (Titania), Jay O. Sanders (Nick Bottom), Lina Silver (Fairy), Keith Randolph Smith (Snug), Jack Tartaglia (Fairy) and Elliot Villar (Demetrius). All in all it was a solid performance with a pretty solid cast. No one really stood out, all though i felt that the Helena (Martha Pimpleton), and Hippolyta (Opal Alladin) were quite good. The set was simple, natural wooden fences used as a back drop, with a large tree in the center (that reminded me of the the Lion King). the staging was really good, the show was very easy to follow (which is a hard task with Midsummer) the chase sequences were very funny, and the play with in a play was pure brilliance. I always feel that people draw a fine line with Pirimus and Thisby by making it to much slapstick, and taking out the earnest realness of the simple characters. This staging found that fine line, it was very genuine. which was nice for a change. The take on the faries i felt was very interesting. They were almost an upper crust traditional victorian family, Titania and Oberon, head of the house, Titania's fairy a maid, and Puck dressed as a traditional steward. The rest of the fairies were children in traditional victorian costumes. It made for a very strong directing choice, and staging choice. The costumes, allthough beautifull, left alittle to be desired. All of the lovers looked perfect, allthough i would have liked them to be stripped down to more interesting undergarments (the women were in corsets and bloomers, the men simply unbuttoned their shirts, and let their suspenders hang down) The fairies were in very beautifull complex victorian costumes, made out of a metalic fabric in deep jewel tones. for me i felt it would have been mre intresting to make them a little more fairy like, possibly by giving them wings or something that was more mythical, and fantasy like. The most interesting costume was the lead fairy, she was dressed as a mythical version of a traditional maid, she wore a french maid style costume that was given an acrobatic cirque esque twist. I hated the fairy make up for the show, i would like to be constructive, but it was stupid and distracting. The fairies were all covered in a pearl like sheen, and it was totally overdone and looked sloppy on Oberon, and Puck. Titania had this awkward dark stenciled in eye brows, that were not even period, and took awat from any beauty she had... she also had the most awkward wig on. i was so totally distracted by it. The costumes for the play with in a play at the end were simple and brilliant. The wedding costumes for the Lovers were beautiful traditional victorian wedding costumes. The only real gripe i have with this production (and most shakespear productions for that matter!) is when they take parts of the prose and turn it into music. This show was treading a fine line of being "Midsummer Nights Dream; the musical". The entire end of the show was done as a song, and i think it was a really weak choice, not only did puck forget the words to the most famous epilouge ever, the orchestration was weak, and got even weaker as they added in harmonies. i think it would have searved them much better to find an interesting method of staging like they did with everything else instead of turning it into a finale number that reminded me of "Ever After" from Into the Woods. Over all i enjoyed the show, it just seems like some risks shouldn't be taken (i.e. musical finale numbers) and some should (creative costumes and make up.)

Two Star Crossed Lovers

Lauren Ambrose and Oscar Isaac play the title charachters in what has to be the best production of Shakespear's Romeo + Juliet i have ever seen. As the first show in Centeral Park's annual "Shakespear in the Park" this years centeral theme is Free Love, which is a huge difference from last year's focus on war (which featured Macbeth, and Mother Courage and her Children). the season includes, R+J, Midsummer Nights Dream, and a special limited engagement of the hippie musical Hair. There were two aspects of this production that really stood out for me; the set included a pool of water that was probably about 6 inches deep, and covered the entire stage floor, and they finally found moments of humor in the show. The second aspect is what really kept me going (partially because i hadn't slept at all the night before, due to my 5 am jaunt to Centeral Park to wait in line for tickets for the show.) R+J is so often done as a sad and heartfelt play, about how hatred destroys even the truest of loves, that they miss out on the initial joys of love. Lauren Ambrose was a delightfull Juliet, she was so full of life and spunk, while still being innocent and virtuous. She had such a child like attitude towards her life in the second act, that it made the choices she makes in the second act seem even more heart felt and earnest. for the first time i believed this Juliet was 14, like the script says so many times. Oscar Isaac was truely a romeo i would instantly fall in love with. He was charming and passionate, and seemed to always folow his heart and never his mind. His passion burst out of him with every word. Cameryn Manheim was everything i wanted her to be in the nurse, she was sassy, saucy, and bursting with life. it was truely great to see an actress of her caliber doing material that is perfect for her. She has such a huge presence on stage, i was overwhelmed at times. by the end of the show i had chills running down my spine. To me Romeo + Juliet is such a beautiful show it was nice to see it done justice for once.

Free Love

So after what seems like a life time, i am home, relaxing. it's a really good thing i woke up at 11 on friday, because i didn't sleep last night. which doesn't sound that bad, but the reason i didn't sleep was because i was in centeral park waiting for tickets for Romeo + Juliet, which is the first show for Shakespear in the Park, at the Delacorte Theatre in Centeral Park. I am told the show is quite impressive, I really hope it was worth getting to the park at 5am. Romeo + Juliet is one of my favorite plays of good willie shakes, the other being Midsummer Nights Dream (which just so happens to be the second show in the season this year).

I left Mr. Blacks, which i have come to the conclusion that I am not fond of it, around 3:30, with my friends John and David in tow. On the way to Union Square, John was hit by a cabbie, and i basically died alittle. He got up and insisted he was fine but i kid you not, i was terrified... i was like oh damn. I've been in several car accidents, and was hit by a driver two three years ago. that stuff scares me. But he's ok, and we're all just a little shaken, I got home at 4, checked my emails, and then packed up a small bag of magaizines, books, and snacks, and headed to Centeral Park. When i got there, at like 5 am, there was all ready like 60 to 70 people there. i layed out my Blanket and Pillow, and looked at some magazines, and read a couple chapters in my book (Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson, i can't wait to finish it) then i tried to sleep for a bit, to no avail. at 8 am, an employee for the Delacorte came around and explained all the rules about free tickets. at 12 i went and got 2 hot dogs, a coke, and a Good Humor chocolate ice cream bar. at 1 they started handing out the tickets, i got mine at 1:20, and with great joy and relief headed home. My friends plane arrives at 5, and he's coming straight to my place to drop off his things, and we are heading to the theatre. i'm pretty jazzed.