[NEOPAL]Full PD Review (rave) of MIDSUMMER at Actors' Summit

Mon Mar 27 07:53:04 PST 2006

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THEATER   
'A Midsummer Night's  Dream'
What: Actors' Summit presents the  Shakespeare classic, directed by A. Neil 
Thackaberry.   
When: Through Sunday, April 9.   
Where: 86 Owen Brown St., Hudson.   
Tickets: $22 and $25. Call 330-342-0800 or go to  www.actorsssummit.org.   
Sunday, March 26,  2006   
Zachary  Lewis 
Special to The Plain Dealer  
The characters they play may  get lost in the woods, but as a company, the 
Actors' Summit team has found an  attractive path through the forest of 
possibilities that is "A Midsummer Night's  Dream."  
Realizing the maximum potential  of its small theater, the Hudson-based 
theater ensemble, directed by A. Neil  Thackaberry, has mounted an ornate, 
traditionally minded interpretation of  Shakespeare's early comedy pleasing to the 
eye, ear, and intellect.   
The enchantment begins at first  glance. Bunches of flowers line the green, 
doughnut-shaped stage, suggesting a  grassy clearing in a garden, and the 
opening characters enter wearing the first  of MaryJo Alexander's many richly 
elaborate costumes.   
But it is the actors who  complete the spell in this tale of amorous 
confusion. Without exception, the  principal cast members operate with a secure, 
comfortable grasp of the text and  do their best to convey both its intrinsic 
beauty and layered meaning.   
Playing Oberon, Thackaberry  speaks slowly and deliberately, relishing each 
word and flavoring his attitude  with a pinch of real malice. Sally Groth, as 
his wife Titania, is every bit his  match, arguing with backbone and wooing her 
imagined lover with queenly  sensuality.  
Otherwise dominating the fairy  kingdom is Puck, Oberon's playful assistant. 
Sasha Thackaberry puts a unique  spin on the character, a few stilted lines 
notwithstanding, slinking about the  stage like a cat and exiting dramatically.  
The four young lovers at the  play's emotional core are delightful. Kathleen 
Cutter and Alicia Kahn portray  Hermia and Helena as youngsters wide-eyed and 
prim but also determined and  capable of losing their tempers. Noah Varness' 
Demetrius is a bit brawnier than  Andrew Narten's dandyish Lysander, but they 
both play the fool with equal  mastery.  
Finally, no one who sees this  production will forget these Rude Mechanicals. 
The lanky, high-voiced Aaron  Coleman is hilariously well-cast as Flute, the 
bellows-mender who becomes Thisbe  in the play-within-the-play, and there's 
probably never been a dimmer-witted  Snug than Devon Stanley's.  
But Peter Voinovich very nearly  consumes the stage as Bottom the Weaver. 
Auditioning for his part as Pyramus, he  gets choked up imagining his own 
theatrical ability, but when he actually gets  his big chance before the Duke, he 
goes wildly overboard in an absurdly physical  death scene.  
If this had been a real forest,  he'd have taken out a few trees.  
Lewis is a free-lance arts  journalist in Cleveland.  

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<SPAN=20
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<H1 style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #d20000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">'A Midsummer N=
ight's=20
Dream'<o:p></o:p></H1>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p><=
/B>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">What: Actors' Summit presents th=
e=20
Shakespeare classic, directed by A. Neil Thackaberry.=20
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">When: Through Sunday, April 9.=20
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Where: 86 Owen Brown St., Hudson=
.=20
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Tickets: $22 and $25. Call 330-342-0800 or go t=
o=20
www.actorsssummit.org.=20
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p><=
/P>
<st1:date=20=
Month=3D"3"=20
Day=3D"26" Year=3D"2006">Sunday, March 26=
,=20
2006</st1:date>=20
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p><=
/B>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Zachary=20
Lewis<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Special to The Plain Dealer<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p>
The characters they pla=
y may=20
get lost in the woods, but as a company, the Actors' Summit team has found a=
n=20
attractive path through the forest of possibilities that is "A Midsummer Nig=
ht's=20
Dream." <o:p></o:p>
Realizing the maximum p=
otential=20
of its small theater, the Hudson-based theater ensemble, directed by A. Neil=
=20
Thackaberry, has mounted an ornate, traditionally minded interpretation of=20
Shakespeare's early comedy pleasing to the eye, ear, and intellect.=20
<o:p></o:p>
The enchantment begins=20=
at first=20
glance. Bunches of flowers line the green, doughnut-shaped stage, suggesting=
 a=20
grassy clearing in a garden, and the opening characters enter wearing the fi=
rst=20
of MaryJo Alexander's many richly elaborate costumes.=20
<o:p></o:p>
But it is the actors wh=
o=20
complete the spell in this tale of amorous confusion. Without exception, the=
=20
principal cast members operate with a secure, comfortable grasp of the text=20=
and=20
do their best to convey both its intrinsic beauty and layered meaning.=20
<o:p></o:p>
Playing Oberon, Thackab=
erry=20
speaks slowly and deliberately, relishing each word and flavoring his attitu=
de=20
with a pinch of real malice. Sally Groth, as his wife Titania, is every bit=20=
his=20
match, arguing with backbone and wooing her imagined lover with queenly=20
sensuality. <o:p></o:p>
Otherwise dominating th=
e fairy=20
kingdom is Puck, Oberon's playful assistant. Sasha Thackaberry puts a unique=
=20
spin on the character, a few stilted lines notwithstanding, slinking about t=
he=20
stage like a cat and exiting dramatically. <o:p></o:p>
The four young lovers a=
t the=20
play's emotional core are delightful. Kathleen Cutter and Alicia Kahn portra=
y=20
Hermia and Helena as youngsters wide-eyed and prim but also determined and=20
capable of losing their tempers. Noah Varness' Demetrius is a bit brawnier t=
han=20
Andrew Narten's dandyish Lysander, but they both play the fool with equal=20
mastery. <o:p></o:p>
Finally, no one who see=
s this=20
production will forget these Rude Mechanicals. The lanky, high-voiced Aaron=20
Coleman is hilariously well-cast as Flute, the bellows-mender who becomes Th=
isbe=20
in the play-within-the-play, and there's probably never been a dimmer-witted=
=20
Snug than Devon Stanley's. <o:p></o:p>
But Peter Voinovich ver=
y nearly=20
consumes the stage as Bottom the Weaver. Auditioning for his part as Pyramus=
, he=20
gets choked up imagining his own theatrical ability, but when he actually ge=
ts=20
his big chance before the Duke, he goes wildly overboard in an absurdly phys=
ical=20
death scene. <o:p></o:p>
If this had been a real=
 forest,=20
he'd have taken out a few trees. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p><FONT=20
size=3D3> </o:p>
Lewis is a free-lance a=
rts=20
journalist in Cleveland.=20
<o:p></o:p></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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