Oberon (Ari Shapiro), King of the Fairies, conspires with Puck's Yin (Catherine E. Powell '08) and Yang (R. Scott Lundgren).

CORRECTION APPENDED

Shakespearean theater requires the contemporary performer to make an initial choice between tradition and creative reinterpretation. Directed by Joshua Randall and co-produced by Roxanna K. Myhrum ’05 and Benjamin M. Poppel ’09, Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre (HRST) took Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the stage this past Friday in the Loeb Experimental Theatre, but never quite made that choice. Regardless of its ambivalent direction, HRST provided audiences with a successful comedy performed by an enthusiastic, talented cast. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Though an enjoyable, lighthearted performance ensued, it consistently wavered between conventionality and creativity. The only disappointing moments in the otherwise satisfying performance were, in fact, the incongruent attempts at creative reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s work.

The character of Puck most exemplified these deviations. Puck is, arguably, the strongest character in the play, linking the mortals to the fantastic fairy kingdom they are trapped within. Yet, the play featured a split Puck—Puck’s Yin Half, played by Catherine E. Powell ’08, and Puck’s Yang Half, played by R. Scott Lundgren—and thus a weaker one. Though the actors wonderfully portrayed the role, the division was unnecessary and confusing. The choice ruined the continuity of the verses, some of which are the most famous in the play, because it arbitrarily divided the lines between the two. The change seemed superfluous and distracting: A Puck divided cannot stand.

Musical director Matthew L. Tobey ’07 made another odd change to the play by choosing to integrate music of Felix Mendelssohn and various electric guitar and piano arrangements throughout the play. The choice was anachronistic, as the play is set in ancient Athens. The sporadic electric interludes, however, proved much worse as they were particularly intrusive to the play’s plot.

Besides these anomalies, the play maintained a traditional performance, delighting audiences with a witty Shakespearean romantic comedy performed by a talented cast. Daniel R. Pecci ’09 as Nick Bottom, the weaver, was among the most memorable cast members. Instead of playing Bottom as simply half-man, half-ass, Pecci embraced the character so fully that he acted like a total ass. Consistently eliciting a laugh from the audience, even when he was not speaking, Pecci played Bottom with hilarious complexity—simultaneously vain, insecure, and ridiculous.

The strength of the play lied with the actors and proved sufficient. Though friction between convention and creativity permeated the play, it did not rob its ultimate goal and, in fact, greatest success: providing a wonderfully whimsical comedy on a midsummer night.

The show runs through Saturday July 7, at the Loeb Experimental Theatre.

—Reviewer Giselle Barcia can be reached at gbarcia@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTION: The June 29 arts article “A Midsummer Night's Entertainment” incorrectly stated that the show was co-produced by Roxanna K. Myhrum '05 and Benjamin M. Poppel '09. In fact, the co-producers were Jeremy R. Steinemann '08 and Poppel.