Michael Robil 10 December 2017 Professor Seal Live Theatre Critique of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” I attended one of the most beloved play
Michael Robil
10 December 2017
Professor Seal
Live Theatre Critique of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
I attended one of the most beloved play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed excellently at the Tucker Theatre at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. A Midsummer Night’s Dream ran Sunday, November 12, 2017. At the first sight, the theatre’s stage looks an ordinary stage but moving on we are switched to the marvelous land of Midsummer. I chose A Midsummer Night’s Dream play because its major theme is love. Also, there is lots of comedy to attract those who are not like love theme, and there are some pixies. Besides love and comedy themes, there is a friendship theme. Friends’ relation and behaviors play a vital in our life. Majority of us will have had that kind of two friends liking the same person and the troubles that happen between those friends. Is friendship stronger than love? Absolutely, I had explored the answer to this question in this play. Imagination versus real life is an additional theme I enjoyed exploring it.
If there were no such things like compassion, appreciation, or love in our world, it would be a difficult and inappropriate place to live. If there was no specific system and law in our life, it would be a disorganized place to live. Nobody will choose any of the two choices to be his or her home. Love, appreciation, and laws are the basic aspects of life. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare acknowledges this fact and uses the two situations to represent the city of Athens as law, organization, respect, and the logic, while the woods represent confusion, disrespect, love, and dream.
It was the first time for me to attend a play at Middle Tennessee State University Theatre. I became fascinated to discover this huge theatre that contains 855 seats. I liked Act Curtain which was in the navy and gray color. The well-prepared set and elevation sketch, designed by designer Scott Boyd, was made totally out of simple elements. They used the technology in presenting the different scenes like the forest scene. The design was highly realistic. The designed set was in the same direction with the director’s point of view which provides the audience with some circumstances for the play. The relative demographic that attended the show was mainly high school students and college students. The themes of the play are contradictory in some way as it represents the dreams and the real life. This is an exceptional play-within-a-play, I found that the audiences were very happy during watching the play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a consisting of many factors such as love, Imagination, illusion, and dreams. At the beginning of the play, Egeus (Kyle Kennedy), Hermia’s father want her to marry Demetrius (Conner McCabe) who loves her but she is not in love with him. Hermia (Alexa Pulley) loves Lysander (Chris Anderson) who told Egeus that he is a perfect match as Demetrius but her father ignore Demetrius and did not listen to him. On the contrary, he proclaim that Hermia will die if she will not marry Demetrius. This is his right according to the Athens law. Hermia decided to escape with Lysander to the forest and in the end be married in another town. Hermia’s friend is unlucky person because she loves Demetrius whom in love with Hermia. Demetrius want nothing from Helena (Kryslin Williams). All of them escape into the charming forest and what happen is so delightful.
Theseus and Hippolyta are arranging to their wedding. Theseus is the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons. Their wedding celebration will last for a four days full of excitement and pleasure. Theseus assign Philostrate to search for a good entertainment for his wedding. There is a group of craftsmen practicing a play that they will present at the wedding ceremony. Peter Quince (Johnathan Carter), a carpenter who will lead this group in his spare time. He decided to present the play “Pyramus and Thisbe” for the Duke and the Queen. He give everyone a role. Nick Bottom (Justin Hand), will perform the leading role of Pyramus and Flute (Jay Mullens) is given Thisbe.
The cast plans to start the rehearsal the next day at the Duke’s oak. Hermia and Lysander plan to see each other on their flight from Athens at the same place.
Meanwhile, there is another group of fairies and magic who came back from India. They came in order to bless the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. They called Oberon and Titania and they are the king and queen of fairyland. Puck is the fairy person who works for Oberon. Puck likes to play irritating tricks and jokes on people. He transformed Bottom’s head into a donkey head. When Oberon notice that Demetrius did not feel anything towards Helena, he sends Puck to bring the magic flower. The juice of this flower can change the person feelings towards the first person he or she sees. As instructed by Oberon, Puck found the magical flower and put some of it in Demetrius’ eyes in order to love Helena. According to the play, this magic juice works only with the male because they do not have a sincere love. As a reason of that, the juice will have a notable impact on Lysander and Demetrius but it will have no effect on Helena and Hermia. I am not agree here with Shakespeare as he made a relation between love and the gender. Demetrius falls in sleep and when he wakes up, he feels that he is in love with Helena. Theseus enters after more conversations and discussions. The couples now are united, satisfied and pleased.
Although the play was badly written, Theseus and the others thank the cast for their performance and efforts. The wedding’s attendants were confused about what have been fact, and what events were a dream. The craftsmen complete the play, which they believe it is lovely. When the midnight comes, Titania and Oberon, with the other servants, celebrate and bless the home, the upcoming children of Theseus and the couples who were sleeping and then they leave. Puck stays on stage to request the approval from the audience and he tells them if they did not like the play, they might remember that it was just a dream.
