Beware. Fairies are afoot in Brewer’s Indian Trail Park. They are up to mischief in the woods outside Athens where lovers rendezvous and a ragtag theater company prepares a tragic tale.
Ten Bucks Theatre delightfully brings to life William Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in the company’s 21st summer offering. The group last produced the show in 2012.
Ben Layman, who directed and played Puck 13 years ago, directs this year’s show with a cast of veteran performers comfortable with the Bard’s language, humor and inexplicable plot twists. Layman and his actors wring all the love, lust and fairy dust from the show that tumbles toward the inevitable happy ending. This is Ten Bucks’ best Shakespeare offering since “The Merry Wives of Windsor” in 2017.
“Midsummer” tells the story of Lysander (Martin Guarnieri) and Hermia (Aimee Gerow), who are in love. But her father, Egeus (Joe Fisher), orders the young woman to marry Demetrius (Patrick “Patty” Morris), who resists the affections of Helena (Natalie Lisnet).
The four young lovers flee Athens for the woods where Titania (Moira Beale) and Oberon (Zach Brown), the Queen and King of the fairies, are in a spat over a child. Their attempts to unite the young lovers using their hobgoblin Puck (Owen Sinclair) go awry while the theatre troupe proves that egotistical actors, especially one named Bottom (Toby Paradis), haven’t changed that much over the centuries.
This ensemble cast is so consistently fine that it is hard to single out one member over another but Sinclair and Paradis are especially funny and entertaining. As the lovers, Guarnieri, Gerow, Lisnet and Morris are always engaging and as the King and Queen of the fairies, Brown and Beale are quite alluring.
Ten Bucks is selling theatergoers flower crowns, fans and goody bags with items that can be used during the show but there are no instructions on when best to use the clapper, horn, rattle, bells or bubbles. Saturday night’s audience seemed unsure of which scenes were worthy of audience participation. Some instructions would be helpful and most likely increase sales.
Returning to a comedy after last summer’s foray into the Bard’s histories with the successful “Henry V” is a welcome distraction from the noise of this summer’s political machinations. A couple of hours with this ensemble is a wonderful reminder that Shakespeare still can evoke joy and laughter in a wooded setting where frolicking fairies dance and play.
Ten Bucks Theatre Company’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be performed at 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, weather permitting, at Indian Trail Park in Brewer. It will move to Fort Knox in Prospect for performances at 6 p.m. July 31 and Aug. 1-3. For tickets, visit tenbuckstheatre.org/now-showing/.