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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. A Midsummer Night's Dream Also see Susan's review of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The vibrant staging, which runs about 100 minutes with no intermission, is easy enough to follow through Paata Tsikurishvili's direction and Irina Tsikurishvili's choreography. The interplay of serious moments, broad comedy, and fantasy comes together beautifully, anchored by the performances of Stella Burch as an agile, almost airborne Puck, and two senior company members: Irakli Kavsadze as both Bottom and aggrieved father Egeus; and Vato Tsikurishvili (son of Paata and Irina) as Peter Quince, leader of the rude mechanicals. Shakespeare's interwoven plots are all here in this adaptation. It still offers four apparently mismatched lovers: Hermia (Irinka Kavsadze), Lysander (Tony Amante), Demetrius (Jacob Thompson), and Helena (Camille Pivetta). Quince is still trying to stage a play while Bottom attempts to keep the spotlight on himself. And in the forest, the king and queen of the fairies, Oberon (Philip Fletcher) and Titania (Rachael Small), are at war with each other, with Puck–and a magical flower–in the middle. Multiple people worked to create the breathtaking visuals: scenic design (which incorporates climbing ropes) by Phil Charlwood; scenic and costume design by Anastasia Rurikov Simes and associate costume designer, Channing Tucker; lighting design by Andrew G. Griffin and associate lighting designer, Dean Leong. Cast member Konstantin Lortkipanidze created the musical score, some of which is performed live onstage. The Synetic technique melds knockabout comedy and acrobatics with bawdy visual humor and amazing illusions (when a performer mimes putting on an imaginary lion mask, somehow his face takes on the appearance of a lion). With all the levels of visual performance, this show is a banquet. A Midsummer Night's Dream, a Synetic Theater production, runs through August 10, 2025, at Olney Theatre Center, Roberts Mainstage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney MD. For tickets and information, please call 301-924-3400 or visit synetictheater.org. Olney Theatre Center Cast: |
