A Midsummer Night's Dream
at Denis Morris Catholic High School

Reviewed on April 11, 2014

Jade Muileboom
Lakeshore Catholic High School
Submitted for publication to

What do you get when you mesh 400 year old literature and high school improv? Only a dream come true; a midsummer one to be exact. Bad puns aside, Denis Morris' rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream gave the old tale a hilarious new reboot. For those who shudder at recollections of Shakespearean verse: fear not, the story while reflecting all the genius of the playwright,is told in a modern tongue.

 The story begins in Ancient Greece with preparations for the upcoming nuptials of Duke Theseus, yet nobody is in the mood to celebrate. Egeus (Andy Ebrahimi) is infuriated as his rebellious and naïve daughter Hermia(Lauren Watson) has fallen in love with Lysander (Zack Neufeld), instead of the suitor he has chosen. Said suitor, the charming Demetrius (Juan-Carlos Figueroa), is eager for the match; however, Helena (Emma Stevenson), Hermia's friend and Demetrius' clingy Ex, is not. To escape her father's plans, the love struck Hermia decides to elope with Lysander. Who can blame her? He's a sickly sweet and doting blond.

 

This decision sets off a chain of crazy events involving meddling faeries, contests for maidens' love (with alternating maidens) and an actor who is literally an "ass". Despite the complicated plot, the story was clearly entertaining thanks to the fabulous cast.Occasionally a line was lost among the dialogue exchanges, but for the most part, the actors delivered quality humour and the audience was taken in by the cast's contagious exuberance. All the couples captured the nuances of each turbulent love relationship with hilarious accuracy.

 

Still, one pair stood out from the rest. An understanding, soulful love, one that endured harsh separation, until a final, joyous reunion brought them back together: Demetrius and Helena? Hermia and Lysander? While they were all lovely, by far the most memorable and truest seeming love was Starveling(Liam Proctor) and Bottom's (Mark Dickinson) BRO-mance.

 

Both men were a part of a band of misfit actors, otherwise known as ‘The Mechanicals'. Despite being cast as The Moon (Liam Proctor), Lion (Jack Dewar), a girl named Thisbe (Rory Jurmain), and Wall (Sachin Seemungal) in theplay within the play, all members of the amateur acting troupe were consistently good for a laugh. The funniest moments were orchestrated by their charismatic, and somewhat maniacal director Quince (Braden Kenny).

 

One cannot forget the final member of this troupe, nor the mischievous fairy at the root of many of the characters' problems:  Bottom and Puck (Ellie Kenny), so different and yet so similar.  Dickinson played the arrogant fool Bottom and Ellie Kenny the careless trickster Puck, and both actors ruled the stage with their vitality, humour and dynamic portrayals.

 

Simply put, Denis Morris Catholic High School's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was the perfect medley of lovesick teens, cross-dressing buffoons, controlling parents, faeries and generous amounts of absurdity.  The Bard may be rolling in his grave, but the audience was rolling on the floor laughing; this reviewer considers it to be a fair trade.

Maddy Cutts
Welland Centennial
Submitted for publication to

Modern language, pop culture references, and contemporary music; all elements a theatre goer would not expect to find in a Shakespearean comedy. Yet this is precisely what greeted audience members who attended Denis Morris Catholic High School's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Believed to have originally been penned late in the sixteenth century, A Midsummer Night's Dream traces the tale of three mortal couples, as well as a group of amateur actors, whose lives are thrown into disarray by members of the faerie world into which they venture. Though the play is among Shakespeare's most performed, the cast and crew breathed new life into this production of the classic tale through their creative modernization. Nearly all traces of its former Elizabethan English is lost, instead replaced by refreshed dialogue, entirely composed through collaborative writing based on cast improvisations.

The simplistic yet versatile set pieces were creatively incorporated into each scene, making set changes as smooth and quick as possible. The uncluttered stage gave each actor optimum room and the ability to make good use of the space provided. Physical movement was further enhanced through the actors' incorporation of the theatre's aisles. Having cast members move throughout the whole theatre not only heightened audience involvement, but also made for a unique and engaging theatre experience.

Shining while sharing a stage and story with multiple other plots and characters is no small task, yet each leading performer succeeded in bringing the essence of his or her role into the modern age. Emma Stevenson was particularly strong in her portrayal of Helena. Miss Stevenson was captivating in her part and had a sincere and firm grasp of the character's emotional state.

The comedic elements of the production were most evident through the work of The Mechanicals, an ensemble of amateur actors commissioned to pull together a performance for the Duke's wedding. Mark Dickinson's grandiose gestures and exuberant delivery in his role as Nick Bottom kept the audience captivated throughout his performance. His 'fellow actors' of the amateur acting troupe were equally as successful in their portrayals, with each of their scenes leaving the audience in stitches.

Appropriately adapted to address a modern audience, Denis Morris' production successfully managed to maintain the basis of Shakespeare's renowned work, while injecting fiery passion and lively comedy well suited to a twenty-first century audience. Denis Morris Catholic High School's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream wonderfully succeeded in marrying the context of old with the language of new in a fresh and appealing way.

Eli Willms
Eden High School
Submitted for publication to

One word: hilarious. Denis Morris' rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream transformed the traditional play into a side-splitting comedy.

Originally written by William Shakespeare, the story is a confusing one. In Athens, Greece, two young, giddy lovers Hermia (Lauren Watson) and Lysander (Zack Neufeld) face a dilemma. Hermia's father, Egeus (Andy Ebrahimi) would rather Hermia marry another fellow, Demetrius (Juan-Carlos Figueroa). Demetrius has in the past been engaged to Hermia's "BFF", Helena (Emma Stevenson), who is still head over heels for the obstinate hunk. Theseus (Shabbir Haider) the Duke of Athens is getting married, to sassy Hippolyta (Elizabeth Colantoni), but his day of planning is interrupted by Egeus demanding intervention between Hermia and Lysander. To avoid her father's plan Hermia runs away with Lysander into the woods. Helena and Demetrius quickly follow and become lost. Meanwhile, a group of amateur actors, the Mechanicals, have been hired to perform at the Duke's reception, and are desperately trying to pull it together. The star of the group, Nick Bottom (Mark Dickinson), likes to shine, and know he's shining. His arrogance also takes him to the woods, where along with the lovers, his life is meddled in by fairy magic. The fairies, Oberon and Titania, who are married and always fighting, desperately try to keep up their own walls of pride. This foolishness causes extra confusion in everyone's lives.

Denis Morris added a twist: each actor wrote their own lines, transposing Shakespearean language to modern slang. This had incredible results and apart from a few slip ups, generated a hysterical response from the audience. Braden Kenny not only starred as the lead Mechanical, Quince, but also directed the entire Mechanical's ensemble. It was this contribution by the actors that made the play so memorable and funny. Every person in the cast had their joke and punch line.

Starting it off with a bang, Haider opened the play with very forward speech and body movement. Colantoni did the same, adding her own wit and sass. Demetrius and Helena's characters were thrown into a high school drama by Figueroa and Stevenson. Both Hermia and Lysander depicted naive young love perfectly. The Mechanicals brought forth the final knockout punch of humour. Mark Dickinson had the audience in tears with his all too comfortable role of arrogance. If ever there was a moment of silence from laughter, Puck (Ellie Kenny) was there to draw it out. Whether dancing in the audience, or having hidden lines in behind other characters, she brought out chuckles everywhere.

Both Snout (Sachin Seemungal), and Snug (Jack Dewar), who had very few lines, brought forth such loud laughter that they could hardly be heard, and would have to shout above the hysterics. Humour and stage time was distributed evenly amongst the whole cast, creating a real "team-play."

What a fantastic way to simplify and amplify a confusing and complex comedy. Denis Morris' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, was an amusing, comical and hilarious performance.