I liked the way they changed one of the lovers' personalities. That lover would be Helena (Mary-Kate Arnold). She was different than in other Midsummer Night's Dreams that I have seen. Helena was a drunk. It was a good choice because it shows that she really loves Demetrius (Tim Larson) because she is so upset that he doesn't love her that she becomes a drunk. And it shows that she feels she is not a good person; she always says to Hermia (Letitia Guillaud), "you are so amazing and beautiful and I am not like you. I wish I was" and stuff like that. That seems like a drunk thing to do. It makes it sadder and funnier. It is sad because she is depressed but it is funny because you have this drunk girl walking around the stage saying Shakespearean language in high heels. It is just a hilariously great combination.
I thought that everything about the fairies was very interesting. Like I thought it was interesting that the fairies guided you basically to the theater to start the part in the woods. I thought that all the fairies' costumes (By Carrie Campana) were like modern fairies and not like Shakespearean. I liked that because it added to how it was supposed to be set in the future from when it was written. I do think Puck's (Julia Rigby) costume could have been a little bit more abstract and crazy. It was very normal. I really liked Titania's (Caitlin Jackson) costume because it really brought out the modernism and beauty of this character. I thought that Peaseblossom (Naomi Lindh) and Cobweb (Miona Lee) were hilarious. I loved how they were like, "Seriously? Bottom (Michael Houghton Wagman) is here?" in a very ticked-off manner.
I thought that the players were hilarious. The ending show was funny because it was just so horrible. I loved the dying scenes with Bottom as Pyramus and Flute (Naomi Lindh) as Thisbe. I thought it was funny because all the actors were great at being bad. When Pyramus stabbed himself, it was so unconvincing that it was hilarious. It was so bad that it was good. I also loved how Quince (Maria Burnham) was doing movements like, "Now leave!" and mouthing it. I thought it was cool when the people on stage would ask you to come up and dance and you got to dance with them. That made you feel like you were actually in the show more and more as the show went on. I thought it was really cool how Puck seemed to be in disguise as the actor who played Moonshine. After everyone had gone to bed he stayed and took off his hat and became Puck and did the ending speech. I thought that was a great way to end, like "That's who it has been all along!"
People who would like this show are people who like big fairy reveals, hilariously bad plays about Pyramus and Thisbe, and drunk Helenas. I'm sorry that I did not get to see this show before the day before closing; I think they should do a remount! It is the first thing I have seen by this theater company and I would definitely go back. I was really impressed.
Photos: Austin D. Oie
I thought that the Temptations (Lynorris Evans, Robert Hartwell, Marq Moss, Ramone Owens, Rod Harrelson) and the Four Tops (Grasan Kingsberry, Rashad Naylor, Christian Dante White, Elijah Ahmad Lewis) at the beginning of the show were awesome. It made you want to dance, so that made you know what this show was going to be like. You were going to want to dance through the whole show. Each group was trying to sing one of their songs while the other was trying to do one of their songs, but like a competition. It was there to show that maybe they didn't like each other very much back in the day because they were basically competing to see who was better. But I think they were doing that just for television because afterward they were chatting and laughing like good friends.
I thought that the Jackson 5 (Leon Outlaw, Jr., Rod Harrelson, Rashad Naylor, Robert Hartwell, Lynnoris Evans) were all amazing. I thought that Michael Jackson (Outlaw) was great. He was one the best kid singers I have ever heard in my life. He seemed so happy while he was singing. He just seemed like he was so alive singing "ABC" on stage. He made the audience clap so hard to the song "ABC." It was just amazing. I really liked their outfits (costumes by Esosa). They were crazy awesome.
Diana Ross seemed like such a sweetheart. She sounded exactly like I wanted Diana Ross to sound. She was a beautiful singer and I think she sounded just like her. One of my favorite parts was when she sang "Reach Out and Touch" which I thought sounded beautiful. I don't know if it is true every night, but, the night I was there, when she asked people in the audience to come up and sing, all of them sang beautifully. Then she told everyone in the audience to sing along and hold hands with the person next to them, even if they didn't know them. And we all swung hands as we sang. The audience loved it because it was like being at a Diana Ross concert. I also really liked when Diana Ross sang "Stop in the Name of Love" with Mary Wilson (Trisha Jeffrey) and Florence Ballard (Krisha Marcano). I liked the dancing a lot because it was so sassy. I memorized the dance (choreography by Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams) because I liked it so much. My favorite move was the twirling snaps!
Berry Gordy I think seems like a very nice guy but he is kind of clueless. Like he's clueless when Diana leaves for another company, and he doesn't really seem very sad. Diana has to make a choice between what is professional and what is personal. And she chooses what is professional, but I think she should have chosen the personal and stayed with Motown. And also, when he tries to sell Motown, he doesn't know that would be bad. Good thing he doesn't do it! You like him anyway because he's such a nice guy and he is trying to make this world a better place…if he can. And he can! He makes the world a better place by making Motown music possible.
People who would like this show are people who like amazing singers, wanting to get up and dance, and twirling snaps. I think people should definitely go and see this show. I had so much fun seeing it, and I think everyone would!
Photos: Joan Marcus
I thought that the look of the play was captivating. I liked the set pieces (by Daniel Ostling). I thought that it was really cool how they had these drawers which opened up into a big door which was their bedroom. There were different sizes of the chest of drawers which had different medicines in them for their medicine shop which Lady Bai and her husband owned. When it started raining, these long silks came down from the top of the theater and made it look like it was raining. I also really liked the projections (by Shawn Sagady). One of my favorites was when the monk house was being flooded and then there were crabs and fish swimming through the water behind. I also really liked the lanterns and how many different kinds there were and how many different colors. It kind of made an effect of a moon. I liked how the parasols made the white snake but it had a little red tie at the end for a tongue. They also used parasols as parasols and they also used parasols to represent a house; they represented the pagoda and the white snake's house that way.
I thought the costumes (Mara Blumenfeld) and the puppets were awesome. I loved the big snake puppet that came out of the bed. I also really liked the little snake puppets, the white snake and the green snake puppets. I also really liked all the kimonos. You don't want them to look like clown suits, you want them to look like actual kimonos you could buy in China. They looked beautiful. But my favorite was when they combined the puppets and the costumes and made The Crane's (Emily Sophia Knapp) suit, which was basically a white outfit with a white wig that went over the eyes and the nose and then it had a giant crane head. I thought it was amazing looking. I think it might have been one of my favorite costumes ever.
I think that Greenie and Lady Bai are the best of friends. I liked that aspect, that there was a servant that they didn't treat like a servant. You knew they were such good friends because when they saw each other on the mountain, Greenie wanted to go with the white snake to the human's world. They are very different because Lady Bai is very skilled and very patient and the other one knows some tricks and is very impatient. You liked both of them because Greenie is kind of like the comic relief. I thought that she was funny because seeing a snake that is impatient is just hilarious. She is also very nice and kind and she also was very enthusiastic about everything. And she was also very good a proposing marriage for someone!
I really liked the villain Fa Hai even though he was evil. He was telling the truth that Lady Bai was a demon. But she was not an evil demon and she was not going to try to kill her husband, so he was wrong about that. I also liked how evil he was and how sinister because it makes for a very good story. I also really liked his accomplice who turns into his ex-accomplice. That was a cute little monk (Eliza Shin) who was trying to make Xu Xian happier about being forced to be a monk. But then she said, "I don't really think it is fair that he forced you to be a monk," and then she helped him escape. I liked both of these monks very much, and I thought they did a great job acting evil and cute.
People who would like this show are people who like magical pharmacies, impatient green snakes, and giant snakes in your bed--go and check right now! Are you back? Any snakes there? The point of the show was to tell you that you are never alone, and even if someone is gone forever they are still around. And when you love someone, your love could last forever. I think this show should be for ages 6 and up because a five-year-old kid might get sad about all the talk of death. People should definitely go see this show. I loved it! The acting is amazing; the puppets are amazing; everything is amazing!
Photos: Liz Lauren and T. Charles Erickson
