Sing and Bless This Place: A Midsummer Night's Dream at Actors' Shakespeare Project & Much Ado About Nothing at THT Rep
From one Shakespeare to another, and the constant between both.
My past weekend may be aptly described as a “Shakespree”—two Shakespeare productions, back-to-back. Two comedies, an hour away from each other, from two different companies. Both were delightful, and represented a kind of space that means more and more with each day.
We began on Friday evening with A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Director Maurice Emmanuel Parent moves Midsummer out of the woods and into the club, bringing a modern edge to the material that lets the cast and crew go absolutely wild. Parent is one of the most kinetic and thoughtful directors in the Boston area, and this bold take on one of Shakespeare’s finest plays demonstrates an admirable measure of bravery from ASP.
In addition to its interpretation, this Midsummer is full of refreshing takes on each character. Alan Kuang’s fantastic dancing skills lend Puck an exciting physicality. Thomika Marie Bridwell is hilarious as Hermia—loud, proud, utterly confident. Helena is given an edge of glee by Deb Martin, a “thrill of the chase” sensibility that lends the character agency she usually doesn’t have. Doug Lockwood plays Nick Bottom with genius geekery, a brilliant subversion of Bottom’s traditional vanity (and echoed via Michael Broadhurst’s equally hilarious turn as Lysander.) Seth Bodie’s costumes also deserve mentionpaint such a vivid picture that they serve as their own character.
On the Saturday evening agenda was a trip to THT Rep for Much Ado about Nothing, directed by Brendan Fox. Where Parent deals in the loud and wild, Fox deals in the charming and playful, culminating in a Much Ado that basks in its own brightness.
THT Rep’s Much Ado takes place in the postwar prosperity of 1950s Italy. Cast wise, Meri Stypinski is fast becoming a personal favorite; with each role she plays she proves herself more and more versatile, and as Beatrice she demonstrates great stamina. She is certainly aided by scene partner Michael Underhill, whose hypermasculine Benedick becomes softer (and funnier) with each new scene. I was most pleasantly surprised by the strength of the supporting cast—a feat in and of itself in a show with such commanding leads. Stella Chinchilla is genuine and endearing as Hero (and prodigious at crying on cue), as is Kelly Letorneau as Margaret. Both women fill their characters with a life that matches a gorgeous garden set. With dreamy lighting design by Stephen Petrilli, we watch the cast through rose-colored glasses, along for the ride and secure in the knowledge that all will be well in the end.
These productions exist on opposite ends of a spectrum called “haven.” On the one hand, we have an Italian getaway vacation—hours and hours across the sea, far away from consequence and surrounded by those we love (and love to hate) most. What may seem life-or-death will be washed away with a fresh glass of wine, and a warmer, sunnier day is just around the corner. On the other hand, the pulsing nightlife of the fairy realm. A dark room where you can thrive on dopamine (or something harder) and live a life that doesn’t know the meaning of “9-5.”
Haven is one of many, many reasons why Shakespeare prevails in the modern age. There is never a time in history without the need for a safe corner to recharge; for a place that holds our hand, says everything is okay, and encourages us to live deliciously.
Enjoy a weekend getaway. Watertown and Worcester are great this time of year.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs until May 4, at the The Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts. Tickets available here.
Much Ado About Nothing runs until April 27, at the Jean McDonough Arts Center’s BrickBox Theatre. Tickets available here.