A Midsummer Night's Dream
at Trabuco Hills

Reviewed on February 1, 2019

Rachel Golkin
Mission Viejo
Submitted for publication to OC Register

Trabuco Hills' 'Midsummer' is enchanting
written by Rachel Golkin, a senior at Mission Viejo High School

In their spellbinding production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Trabuco Hills High School takes their audience on a mirthful adventure where misunderstandings, meddlesome fairies, and the hypnotic power of love makes dreams indistinguishable from reality.

Two realms collide when the stifling rules of courtly life send four lovestruck Athenians fleeing into the mystical forestry of the fairy world. The lovers Hermia and Lysander are followed by Demetrius, who's hopelessly in love with Hermia, and Helena, who's pining after Demetrius. But after venturing into the fairy kingdom, they become pawns and playthings in the mischievous spirits' own games of love.

Luke Desmond's Lysander is endearingly rambunctious. Desmond pursues Helena (Josie Bromby) with great vigor after being charmed into loving her. His exuberant energy is contagious as he bounds across the stage, flailing his limbs and throwing himself at Demetrius (Michael Sladek) in a fight for Bromby's affection.

Carrying herself with great dignity, Alyssa Gauss effectively captures Hermia's self-assured nature. When Sladek and Desmond ignore her to fawn over Bromby, Gauss stands apart from the action, infuriated, and delivers her lines with a pompous attitude and wavering inflection that hints at her growing rage. As the energy builds, she balls her fists, furrows her brow, and leaps headfirst into the action to attack Bromby.

Sly and smirking, Kylie Thompson encapsulates the mischievous nature of Puck, the Fairy King's right-hand-man. Thompson lurks behind the action, her face contorting into an impish grin as she watches the mortal lovers brawl, delighted by the uproar she's sparked. When slinking downstage to address the audience, Thompson is quick and nimble; her steps are so light she seems to float.

Working as a cohesive ensemble, the fairies exude giddiness as they bounce across the stage, carefree and spry. They constantly play amongst themselves, teasing and taunting each other with childlike buoyancy.

Capturing the whimsical tone of the show, costume designers Joliya Iriarte, Angelina White, and Josie Bromby create mesmerizing outfits for the inhabitants of the fairy realm. As the fairies dash across the stage, their dresses flap and flutter, the flowers on each dress popping with vibrant color and flooding the stage with dreamlike shades of violet, saffron, and fuschia.

THHS overwhelms their audience with a magical sense of otherworldliness, imploring them to fall under the trance of an ethereal dream and lose themselves in the jovial antics of a simpler time.

Emily Boyer
Mission Viejo
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Trabuco Hills' A Midsummer Night's Dream is a dream come true
written by Emily Boyer, a senior at Mission Viejo High School

Prancing through the woods in the midst of a magical night, the cast of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" takes the audience on an extravagant journey through the story of two pairs of mixed up lovers, a team of acting players, and a magical group of fairies.

Luke Desmond enters the scene with a swift walk as the gentle Lysander. He gazes at his lover, Hermia, with sweet and affectionate eyes, but when he is put under a spell to fall in love with Helena, his face is covered with a gaudy grin. Alyssa Gauss commands the space with her bold stride as the sassy and confident Hermia, and Josie Bromby lights up the stage with her bright facial expressions as the persistent Helena. Michael Sladek flawlessly portrays the role of Demetrius with his quick movements and antagonistic voice towards Lysander.

As he purposefully walks with a wide and quick stride, engaging his fellow players, Jordan Murillo exquisitely performs the role of Nick Bottom. Murillo has perfect comedic timing with his exaggerated movements and tall stance with his chest pushed out.

Kylie Thompson hops and springs around the stage, yet always staying close to the ground, as the mischievous companion, Puck. As she meddles with the people she encounters in the forest, Thompson stays consistently engaged with what is happening around her, watching the chaos ensue as she nibbles on a vine.

Titania (Hannah Breeland) and her group of fairies prance around the stage, always keeping themselves busy in the trees of the forest. Particularly notable is Delaney Miller as Moth, a mute fairy, which highlighted her bold facial expressions and dainty and magical physicalities of a fairy.

Set design by Sophia Quartucci added to the magic of the story by using a large tree as the focal point of the set, where a pole went down the center of the trunk for the characters to go down. She also included a bridge that branches off of the tree, with an aerial arts hoop hanging from it. Each element contributed to the playful nature of the scene, and gave the cast a freedom to explore the whole space.

With each member of the cast keeping energy high and captivating their audience with their thorough understanding of Shakespeare, Trabuco Hills brings us on a mystical journey of magic and comedy.

Olivia Pannell
Santa Margarita Catholic
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Trabuco Hills' ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' keeps the Laughter Coming
written by Olivia Pannell, a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Lysander and Demetrius squawk and squabble as they run through the trees, Demetrius piggybacks on Lysander, trying (and failing) to fight him. Helena and Hermia pace around each other, glaring daggers back and forth. Puck hunches down in the tree, nibbling on the vines as she drinks in the chaotic events of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

‘A Midsummer Night's dream' is a Shakespearean comedy that follows the marriage of the Duke of Athens to Hippolyta, the misadventures of four lovers, an eccentric acting troupe, and meddling fairies.

Jordan Murillo (Nick Bottom) makes bold choices and gets the audience laughing. His voice is drenched in melodramatic sorrow when he performs as Pyramus in the final scene. He leans in close to the Athenians, clutching the sword tucked under his arm. He gestures and flails wildly, sputtering out exaggerated chokes and gasps as he pretends to die.

Kylie Thompson (Puck) uses her physicality and inflection to capture the mischievous nature of Puck. She is nimble and lithe as she lurks around the sleeping lovers, huddling down and slithering near them. Her voice is Melodic and lilting, tinged with amusement as she tells Oberon how she gave Bottom a donkey's head and made Titania fall in love with him.

Delaney Miller (Moth) stands out by choosing not to speak for the entirety of the show. Instead, she uses actions to portray her emotions. She beams and points at herself with excitement, rocking back and forth on her heels when she is chosen to guard Titania. When she is ignored by Bottom, her chin droops down and she sulks, pouting her lip.

The set (Eric Natividad and Sophia Quartucci), complete with detailed and realistic trees, bring the stage to life. The set also includes a fire pole, aerial hoop, and bridge for the actors to engage with, which grounds them in the world of the show.

The props (Sophia Quartucci and Alex Converse) add to the magical atmosphere. The enchanted flower Oberon gives to Puck is a brilliant purple, standing out among the mostly green set. The flower is also equipped with a bell, creating a mystical tingling sound whenever it is used.

Although some lines were hard to hear clearly, Trabuco Hills' production uses intricate sets and over the top energy to bring excitement and laughter to the stage.