Puck and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Puck and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Our July summer guide poses the question: to go or not to go? (And Kimberly Cunningham even shares a drinking game to help make it through all the iambic pentameters in a Shakespeare play.) Well, I did go and it was great.
I’m no play critic of any sort. As a graphic designer, I mostly sit around all day trying to figure out how to make things look beautiful and make sense for our readers. Visually, A Midsummer Night’s Dream achieved both those goals. I was surprised when the back of the theater rolled open to reveal the eerie yet magical forest of the fairies (also known as Balboa Park/almost the Zoo). Puck and Oberon sport leather vests and camo-ish skinny jeans, plus their hair leads you to believe they stuck their fingers in an electrical outlet. The non-fairy characters are a bit more traditional in victorian garb.
I laughed out loud (and so did my native-of-Mexico husband). I didn’t understand every verse but the quality acting and my flashbacks to high school English helped out (thanks, Vista High). Sitting outside, under the moon and stars only added to the magic of the play. “I’ll met by moonlight, proud Titania.”
It was a midsummer night well spent in the park. I didn’t even need an alcoholic beverage. Though, I did need a cappuccino because the play ended 2 hours after my bedtime.
The festival goes through September and includes The Merchant of Venice plus Rosecrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. http://www.theoldglobe.org/index.aspx
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Jim Cox
