Let us first rejoice the positives. Shakespeare on the River is an energetic bunch of twentysomethings who really believe in the theatre. They're creative, vivacious, and spirited. Director David Chorley is inventive in staging, and draws consistently good performances from his large cast. The space that this group has discovered, the Concord Place Outdoor Amphitheater, is a gem. While it has more than its share of technical negatives, it is as charming a setting as any professional outdoor amphitheater. If only these things alone could carry their premiere production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Unfortunately, despite my excitement over the possibilities of this group, the realities of a fledgling company working in an untested space make this an evening only a cast member's family or a visionary could love.
They're offering my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies, the fairy-filled love story that sees discontent in many courts. Titania and Oberon are jealously bickering, causing discord in the fairy world. Lovers Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena are unhappy with the status quo, each wanting the person they cannot have. The Rude Mechanicals, an enjoyably scurvy bunch, are creating a play by committee for the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, with hilarious results. Naughty spirit Puck attempts to put everything right, but causes just enough mischief to make things fun before the conclusion.
Mr. Chorley has brought together a large cast, including a few minivan-fulls of young girls in fairy costumes, and infused the evening with youthful enthusiasm and intense self-belief. He creates some wonderful stage pictures, and uses the large space to maximum, imaginative effect. He also plays one of the Mechanicals, fittingly choosing playwright and director Peter Quince to portray.
I didn't see a poor performance in the bunch, but this is conjecture on my part. The overwhelming problem of the evening came from failing body mikes, which left several performances, including John Haubner's Theseus, Jim Prendergast's Oberon, Heather Welch's Titania, and Ryan Richardson's Egeus, completely and literally silent. Having acted in this show in graduate school, I knew the lines that they were saying, but anyone unfamiliar with the script would have been completely lost. Several scenes were done in inadvertent pantomime. The body mikes failed only intermittently for the rest of the cast, and the only one whose lines were heard from beginning to end was Matt Dallas, who is a great live wire as the naughty Puck. The lovers are all quite enjoyable, as are the mechanicals.
Melissa Cesarano's choreography is impressive, if ineffectively performed by the large group of munchkins. What they lacked in polish, though, they made up for in energy. This was set to Mr. Chorley, Eric Bauman, and Mike Farfalla's filmic sound design, which, during a night when the mikes were working, would have been fitting, though only served to drown out the remaining cast at times. Mr. Richardson's set is simple, utilizing the lush surroundings. Michael J. Eddy's basic wash lighting design worked as well as the space allowed, perhaps necessarily lacking any colors or effects.
A true review of the piece was made nearly impossible by the extensive, multiple microphone failures. What I saw looked like it would have been great. My job, though, is not to divine what might have been, but to report on what the shivering paying audience observed. In that case, all I can offer is that I hope the microphone demons are exorcised soon, or audiences will be treated only to a mid-autumn night's dumb show. I also hope that by their next offering, the Bard's Taming of the Shrew, this potentially exciting group will finally be ready for prime time.
Production Details:
A Midsummer Night's Dream by
William Shakespeare
Shakespeare on the River
The Concord Place Outdoor Amphitheater, Phoenix
(602) 468-6021 x 3
November 16th - 26th, 2000