The Wright Times

Issue date: 12/1/09 Section: Arts & Culture

In November, Wright College's theater organization, Stage Wright, presented its unique adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in the Events Building. Though the famous play features a magical interpretation, Stage Wright's production struggled to bring this theatric dream to life.
Directed by Jason A. Fleece, the play includes three groups: four lovers, mischievous fairies, and a band of mechanicals. Originally set in ancient Greece, Stage Wright's adaptation channeled the early 20th Century with double-breasted suits, suspenders, and period dresses. With a group comprised of Wright students, the main cast depicts young lovers as Lysander (Sean Hinckle) falls madly in love with Hermia (Angelina Hassler) who rejects the gallant and more commanding Demetrius (Nick Voss). Meanwhile, Helena (Deveon Bromby) longs for Demetrius who shuns her every attempted pursuit at his heart. Fairy king Oberon (Aaron Saucedo) overhears this interaction and tries helping the lovers while dealing with fairy queen Titania (Crystal Lankford), but Oberon's gleefully mischievous court jester Puck (Michelle Flores) causes trouble for human and fairy alike.
Though the play retains a magical atmosphere, the costumes clashed in their attempt to channel the steampunk era. The fairies had a look that paralleled the time period of proper dresses, fingerless gloves, top hats, and umbrellas but with a 1980s punk twist characterized by rainbow-colored corsets and wild eye makeup. Virtually every mythical character had an unusually high number of pocket watches and wore either aviator goggles or round sunglasses, which felt silly for a midsummer's night. The bland human wardrobe consisted of button-up shirts, newsboy hats, and black and white dresses, a far cry from the overly extravagant fairy wear of aviator outfits and kitschy dresses. While the set was impressive, the mix of bronze-colored wheelchairs and cog-propelled beds conflicted with the gentle farm-like scenery, and the overall tone of ancient Greece seemed confusing.
The soft-spoken dialogue was tough to hear for most of the show. Flores and Bromby's voices roared throughout the theater, yet others like Hassler and Lankford barely whispered. For many players, the words felt forced, unnatural, and hollow. The show's most distracting element - the music - overwhelmed the already inaudible cast with big band CD versions of "I Will Survive," "Eye Of The Tiger," and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools