Imagine four lovers scattered into an enchanted forest full of magic, mischief, and twists of love. Nothing could go wrong, right?
Cal High’s theater class’s three-night run of William Shakespeare’s brilliant comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” is full of fairies, a team of rude mechanicals and lovers all set in a beautiful enchanted forest full of mystery.
The final performance of the visually stunning and amusing play is tonight at 7 p.m. in the school theater. Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for adults.
The play expertly plays into the complicated net of love between the fair ladies, Hermia, portrayed by senior Mari Kawashima, and Helena (senior Cahmei Young), and the two gentlemen, Lysander (senior Thomas Helgren) and Demetrius (senior Sameer Polji). Both Lysander and Demetrius are in love with Hermia, a love triangle that only gets more complicated by Helena’s feelings for Demetrius.
The curtain opens with Hermia’s father, Egeus (senior AJ McConnell), wanting Hermia to marry Demetrius. To escape this, Lysander and Hermia go to a forest to pursue their love. Helena and Demetrius follow in pursuit, and the drama ensues in the forest.
Once in the forest, the characters Oberon (Senior Sharanya Garudathil) and Titania (senior Elizabeth Spencer) are introduced and fight over a “changeling child,” which sets the magical chaos in motion. In retaliation, Oberon orders Puck (junior Freya Chikhalikar) to use a magical flower on Titania and the lovers. This makes them fall in love with the first person they see when they wake from their sleep.
Mistaking the right targets, Puck ends up making Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena and Titania in love with Nick Bottom (junior Malakai Sokolva) one of the mechanicals who is trying to set up a play inside of the play called “Pyramus and Thisbe”.
It was quite funny seeing all the confusion unfold from there. Lovers are mixed up with each other, and Titania falls in love with Nick Bottom, whose face has been transformed into a donkey’s head, which was hysterical.
Actors capture the hilarious interactions between the betrayed Hermia, the confused Helena, and love-stricken Lysander and Demetrius. The crowd was continuously laughing at the lover’s rage and frustration, the silly fights, and the constant bickering. At one point, Hermia jumped on Helena’s back in anger, while Lysander and Demetrius dueled in an exaggerated fashion in the background, which was met with laughter from the audience.
After the lovers were properly matched with one another, the mechanicals were tasked to perform their “play” at the final celebration of their marriages. The mechanical’s performance of “Pyramus and Thisbe” was a play much like Romeo and Juliet, with the lovers ending in tragic death because of misunderstanding. The overly dramatic acting was really enjoyable, especially the fact that they were intentionally performing a poorly performed play that was inside of a play. They executed that excellently. The comedic errors of the play, the silly commentary of the characters watching, and the great acting made it a perfect way to end the performance.
The set of the play was also aesthetically stunning, full of vibrant greenery and vines that covered the area, matched with warm lighting everywhere, truly bringing together the ambiance of an enchanted forest. With lit trees, a flower-studded arch centered in the middle of the stage, and great props, the stage looked like a beautiful forest.
All the costumes were well put together, fitting the theme of the Shakespeare play with dress clothes for the high-class men, dresses for the women, and matching green attire for the fairies. The mechanicals were purposefully dressed rougher and less professional than the rest, and the final outfits for the married pairs looked amazing. The craftsmanship and design of Nick Bottom’s donkey head was very realistic.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was a lighthearted comedy that kept the audience smiling for most of the nearly two hour performance. For those who enjoy rom-coms, this is the perfect play, full of witty humor and complicated plot twists. Cal students really put on a masterclass performance with this play, exceeding all expectations.
