A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM comes to Tooele

​If you are new to William Shakespeare‘s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, let me give you the run-down. It’s a comedy with three plot lines.  The play opens with a couple (Hermia and Lysander) eloping due to Athenian law and their best friends (Demetrius who loves Hermia and Helena who loves Demetrius) chasing after them into a forest and having  a confused quarrel of would-be lovers. Another centers on the rivalry between the fairy king (Oberon) and queen (Titania) who live in the forest and use magic to make mischief for each other and the lovers. The third follows a group of actors trying to get their play rehearsed and performed and eventually performing at the wedding of the lovers above. The last plotline is a fun dynamic, seeing a play within a play. The story is full of silly banter, with tricks, twists, and everything working out in the end.

Megan Bishop directed this and did a wonderful job. I loved the choices with many of the action scenes, like when Lysander and Demetrius, two love-struck men, are fighting over poor Helena, or when Puck decides to infiltrate the actors. Bishop also directed a lot of moments between characters that were sweet and endearing, which worked really well in the script. As director, Bishop was also able to improve many moments where some performance skills were somewhat lacking. I was a little concerned with the intermission, which seemed too early in the show. The production’s end also was confusing, because many scenes had a monologue and I thought the production was over a few different times when there were many more scenes following.

​The simplicity of the costumes, by Boston Partridge, seemed a good fit for a Shakespeare play in an outdoor amphitheater. For one, I felt like the performers weren’t too uncomfortable in the outdoor weather, which can get both hot or cold. I also liked how the simplicity allowed the focus on the story and the design kept my imagination running throughout. There were some moments it didn’t work as well, like the first scene with Demetrius played by Emelie Shinn. It took me a minute to realize she was playing a man, when the costume design was more of a woman’s style.

I also liked the simple set design by Collin Ray, which had some mossy rocks on one side and a couple boxes on the other side. It was easy to imagine a bed or a forest depending on what the characters were doing and saying, and it worked really well for an outdoor atmosphere. Maryn Ray also did a good job with props, especially the “moon,” which was a fun disco ball.

Helena, played by Verona Miller, was very skilled in her emotional and eloquent performance. I thought her scene with Hermia, played by Boston Partridge, was intriguing, as they tried to figure out what was going on and blamed each other. Miller and Brennan Moyes, who played Lysander, had good connection and chemistry, which made it all the more betraying when Lysander was under the spell and acted differently. Nick Bottom was played by Kai Matthew Davis, who had great stage presence and was easy to follow. Davis used specific and effective pauses to emphasize things, like when he said the word “legs” in a sentence while he was standing, making it seem his legs were feeling in pain.

The coveted part, Puck, played by Maria Gamez Sanches, was so entertaining. Sanches seemed to have as much fun causing mischief as the audience had watching her do it all. A lot of the performers seemed newer to acting, and I appreciated how everyone had their lines memorized, spoke clearly, and with strong inflections. I also was suddenly surprised near the end by Tony Ellenberger playing Philostrate, when he delivered lines so skillfully that I wished he had a bigger part in the play.

I’m glad Toole Valley Theatre or TVT is performing more Shakespeare productions to be seen in Utah. This is such a funny and enjoyable play to see, and in a beautiful location. The magic in this story, with its blend of humor, romance, and fantasy, will be a light in your memory for years to come.