Shakespeare goes Gothic as Waimea Community Theatre and Chorus presents its 50th anniversary Spring Production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play opened May 16 and runs through Sunday at the historic Parker School Theatre in Waimea.
“We’re doing the 50th celebration of Waimea Community Theatre and we decided that this particular season we would choose four plays that we have done in the past,” said director Felicity Johnson. “When they were selected, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was one of the four. We always try to do, if not once a year, then once every other year, a Shakespeare play.”
Johnson stages Shakespeare’s joyous comedy about the universal theme of love and all its complications with a new darker twist.
“I directed Midsummer Night’s Dream a few years ago and thought I needed to do something different, so I decided I wanted to do it sort of goth as opposed to beautiful Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream music which I absolutely love,” said Johnson. “So we’re going to do it with some new wave music going on.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream brilliantly intertwines four stories: the marriage of the King to the Amazon queen Hippolyta; the bickering Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies; the hilarious antics of four lovers in a forest; and the comical efforts of a group of workmen to stage a love-play for the royal wedding.
“The magical forest, the land of the fairy folk, is all black, like a black and white movie” said Johnson. “The fairies are all naughty, goth fairies with wonderful makeup. Oberon is the most tyrannical looking, king of the fairies who has been with Titania for thousands of years — that’s why they’re having a bit of a row.”
“The workmen, who are the comedic relief, are all very colorful as they go about planning the wedding for the king. I wanted the extreme — human beings as the colorful world and fairyland as the dark part.”
A comedic love story, the production is one of Shakespeare’s later works that tells a delightful tale of love and its often hilarious complications. “It’s really funny,” said Johnson. “It’s about coming out to have a good chuckle.”
The cast includes thespians from fifth-graders to adults. “I just love the play very much because it’s such a range for the actors to go from deep despair to deep laughter,” said Johnson. “We have so much fun doing this.”
The cast of royalty includes Kelly Barrik, Cindy Boyd, Hope Boyd, Bill Cruise, Bryden Jones, Steve Taylor, Max Von Kendell and Amelia Wirth. Fairies and sprites are played by, Tahirih Ajimine, Maddy Bailey, Beyonce Corpuz, Payton Kendrick, Dave Merrin, Dedrie Miller, Mick Miller, Gemma Palleschi, and Maren Lvana Weick. The workmen include, Dan Bal, Wilbor Boyd, Colin Edsmon, Tanner Legler, John Sucke and Brian Thomas. The production team is Felicity Johnson, director and costumes; Dan Bal, producer; Paul Buckley, lighting design; Matt Bal, lighting and sound; David Gomes, set construction; Stephen Green, set coordinator; and Maren Lvana Weick, fairy makeup.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and students, $10 for children 10 and younger. Tickets are available at the door, or from Waimea General Store, Without Boundaries in Waimea, Waikoloa Mailboxes and Suite Possibilities in Kailua-Kona. For more information call 885-5818.