Photo via Facebook / Shakespeare in the Park Milwaukee
According to Shakespeare, “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” (In case you’re wondering, it’s from As You Like It). Optimist Theatre has taken that “world” and moved it onto a wide expanse of lawn, debuting its current annual free Shakespeare offering in the park, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Lovers’ Tale. And the “merely players” is a talented group of seven young women and men that make this condensed version fun to watch as the summer breeze kicks in.
ML Cogar and Tom Reed co-directed—and Cogar has honed the storyline by focusing on the comic antics of the four magical fairy-crossed lovers chasing one another on a starry night in the forest. For those who think that Shakespeare in the 21st-century drones on forever, this 75-minute production (no intermission) captures all of the cleverness of Shakespeare’s word play while demonstrating that less can actually be more—and with plenty of laughs.
To cut to the chase, literally: Fairy King of the forest, Oberon, instructs Puck to sprinkle magic fairy dust on the various players so they fall in love with those who return their love. Puck mixes it up and magical mayhem ensues. Will the two couples ever get it straightened out and end up with the deserving lover? (Hint, to borrow from yet another Shakespeare play: “all’s well that ends well.”).
Optimist Theatre consistently lives up to its high standards of acting found in it shows and The Lovers’ Tale only exemplified that. Susie Duecker’s Helena commanded the stage, er, lawn, in a remarkable show of emotions, ranging from a forlorn woman in love to a feisty yet funny object of magical desire. Ditto for Libby Amato (Puck) andRebekah Farr (Hermia). But the men turn in fine performances as well: Seth Hale (Oberon and Theseus), King Hang (Demetrius) and Fabian Guerrero (Lysander).
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
As Puck tells Oberon (and reminds the audience) “...What fools these mortals be!” They may be fools in love. But they make for so much fun to watch in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Lovers’ Tale.
Performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Lovers’ Tale are scheduled at various sites throughout Milwaukee through the Labor Day weekend. Sites include: Greendale Park, Lincoln Park, Washington Park, Humboldt Park, the St. Ann Center, the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center, the Marcus PAC lawn, the 53rd Street School baseball diamond and the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Additional sites may be added. For more information, visit: FreeShakespeareInThePark.org
