Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 2, 1991 TAG: 9103020214
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS GLADDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Shakespeare's works are remarkably flexible when it comes to interpretation and style. This grandaddy of screwball comedies is no exception.
The scenery and costumes by Robert Croghan evoke the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley and Arthur Rackham with a little 1950s modernism, Japanese woodblock and rock 'n' roll glitter thrown in for good measure.
Harry Hogan, the snarling vampirish Fairy King, could have stepped out of the moribund rock group Kiss. And D.C. Patterson as Puck looks like a horned Beardsley Ali Baba.
The story involves a complex tapestry of mixed-up lovers whose attentions shift with the magic spells of the fairy kingdom.
Demetrius is betrothed to Hermia, who is in love with Lysander. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who only has eyes for Hermia. Meanwhile, Theseus (Sewell Whitney) and Hippolyta (Sharon FitzHenry) are a royal pair on the brink of their wedding.
The fairy king and queen are feuding, and the king sends Puck to put a spell on the queen (Corinna May): she will fall in love with the first creature she sees. That happens to be Bottom (Herbert Mark Parker), a bumbling tradesman and actor who is turned into a beast to give the spell more sting.
The cast is first-rate though the four mix-and-match human lovers show an exceptional flair for broad, fast-paced comedy. Cuivan Kelly plays the steadfast Demetrius; J.R. Hontz, the ardent Lysander; Kristina Wright, the fair Hermia; and Sharon Merle, the giddy and, at first, spurned Helena.
Merle is particularly funny as a love-struck maiden who suddenly finds herself the object of the attentions of two men and thinks they're playing a cruel joke on her. She demonstrates comic precision from the slightest facial expression to the broadest physical antics.
On hand to further enhance the story's wit is a band of goofball tradesman who plan to put on a show for the duke. The show is a comic gem, with Parker and James Bunzli in the roles of the starcrossed Pyramus and Thisbe.
Instead of an ethereal mood, Hodgin goes for a vividly colorful and earthy tone with a pagan sensuality. It's appropriate to the ancient Greek setting and English fairy lore that Shakespeare combines in his comedy.
The result is a robust, visual treat with a contemporary comic sensibility. Purists may not approve, but Shakespeare probably would.
Run through March 17 at Mill Mountain Theatre, Center in the Square, Roanoke. Thursday and Sunday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2. Tickets from $11 to $14. Reservations, 342-5740.
by CNB