Cappies Review: Stone Bridge High's 'Midsummer Night's Dream'

ASHBURN, VA — Lay back, leave the stresses of waking life behind, and lose yourself in the sublime subconscious of Stone Bridge High School as fey and fools ferry you into a fanciful Midsummer Night's Dream.

One of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream intertwines the storylines of four young lovers with conflicting infatuations, a troupe of inept actors, and the horde of mystical, mischievous fairies interfering in these mortal affairs.

The play is as dreamy as the title suggests, and Director Paisley LoBue takes Stone Bridge's rendition one step further: we open on a young boy curled up on a bed of twigs and flowers who dreams of a flock of fluttering fairies. We're taken along with him on a journey through his imagination as the fairies pull him from his bed and towards a deck of tarot cards to have their fortunes read. As he draws a card from the deck, the corresponding life-size version swings around on stage and the pictured tarot persona steps out of the paper and into life. These twists add fresh depth and dimension to a classic show while retaining the simplicity and timelessness of the Elizabethan setting.

LoBue's vision is carried out by Katie Bushman's intriguing yet uncomplicated sets. Eleven giant wooden tarot cards comprise a two-story set linked by spiral staircases. Each card has golden trees painted on the back, a detailed tarot character on the front, and the ability to swivel between the two to allow actors to enter and seamlessly transition between the forest of the fairy kingdom and the more grounded world of Athens. The costumes (Bethany Shears and Ainsley Steger) match the tarot card out of which each character steps and the personality of every ensemble member; fairies flounce about in bright colors, earthy neutrals, and skirts sewn with twinkling lights.

The pairs of lovers at the whims of these sprites are genuine and dynamic as they lose their way in the woods and along with it, their relationships and identities. Lysander (Sam Fremin) and Hermia (Gillian Kniley) have palpable chemistry as they transform from giddy, eloping paramours to angered adversaries and back again. Helena (Susanna Major) demonstrates consistent energy and dedication to the role as she pines over Demetrius (James Good) and doubts the sincerity of his newfound, fairy love potion-induced infatuation. The foursome all exhibit exceptional physicality and expression as they spar with swords and words, impart meaning in difficult Shakespearian dialogue, and remain relentlessly in character even when asleep or in the background reacting to the play within the play.

They need not have worked too hard to react to the play, for it was an energized, engaging, hilarious highlight of the show. The Rude Mechanicals, led by the rollicking, pompous Nick Bottom (Maxx Peak) have the audience in stitches for the duration of their "Pyramus and Thisbe" performance. Bottom, as Pyramus, dramatically stabs himself with his sword after yearning in anguish for his love through the chink in the wall (a scene-stealing role with Sonia Chandra as Tom Snout bringing the inanimate bricks to side-splitting life) separating the two lovers.

This dreamy show is not complete without its mysterious fairies. The impish Puck (Taylor Stevens) brings a sly, chaotic energy with his feral physicality and powerful ending monologue. As the respective king and queen of the fairies, Oberon (Miles Green) and Titania (Brittany Battista) compel and captivate as they manage the mischief from afar.

As hysterical as it is magical, Stone Bridge High School's deeply satisfying production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is one from which you won't want to wake up.

Review by Maggie Klein of Oakton High School

Photo: Brittany Battista of Stone Bridge High School