Midsummer For Haters at The Magnetic Theatre
There’s a reason why Shakespeare’s plays remain a key part of pop culture, and the Magnetic Theatre’s production of Midsummer for Haters brings The Bard’s most creative work into a modern frame.
In the director’s note, Melon Wedick mentions that this is a collaborative production between Magnetic and Nemesis Theatre Companies, and how this entire idea was to take directly from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and remove or change the more problematic parts of the story. And that’s precisely what the company achieves.
The show opens with the cast members discussing their least favorite parts of the original version of the play, then launches into the actual production. But the best part is that the actors don’t actually know which version of the performance they’re doing. Surprise! There are two versions, just like there are multiple sides to any story.
In the performance I attended, the forest where the majority of the play takes place is a dry one with lots of bushes and streams. The set design by Alice Dodge is absolutely perfect, with numerous platforms across the stage space and down the middle aisle in the audience that truly bring attendees into this dream.
True to the text, Hippolyta (Katie Jones) and Theseus (Daniel Henry) are about to be wed; Egeus (Erin McCarson) wants Theseus to force his daughter Hermia (Molly Graves) to marry Demetrius (Alex McDonald Villarreal) instead of her true love, Lysander (Paul Vonasek); Helena (Christine Hellman) is sad because Demetrius doesn’t love her…the usual story.
The lovers all run to the woods and the fairy court witnesses all. But instead of the usual ethereal fairy costuming, Christine Caldemeyer takes inspiration from cicadas. My favorite touch is an extra set of wings on the ankles of Puck (Haven Volpe), almost like a reference to Hermes.
This is where things change up. Hippolyta takes over the roles of the mechanicals, played lovingly by toys (Jones has a different voice for each one — it’s fantastic), with Bottom going from a toy shark to being played by McCarson. And trust me, McCarson steals every scene she’s in, either as Bottom or as Egeus. There’s also a bit of riffing on the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, and its similarities to Romeo and Juliet. As a Shakespeare nerd, I was cackling.
The physicality of the performance is likewise superb. Demetrius and Hermia act more like siblings in their bickering, while Hermia and Helena go into a full “Maury”-style brawl. The fight choreography by Jered Shults is brilliant, bringing in some old-school pro wrestling techniques into what has been considered a more “highbrow” story.
And by the end, we the audience see that the prank pulled by Oberon (Jon Stockdale) on Titania (Lauren Otis) has very real consequences. And Zak Hamrick’s movements for the changeling child? Terrifying but also perfectly smooth and creepy!
If you prefer your Shakespeare unedited, then this play isn’t going to be for you. But if you want to see how an absolutely exceptional cast takes a story and turns it on its head, this is very much for you.
Midsummer For Haters runs through Saturday, June 18, at The Magnetic Theatre. For details and tickets, visit themagnetictheatre.org.
(Photo by Cheyenne Dancy)
