The University Drama Department’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was extremely well done. It was clear that the student actors, as well as the director and everybody in the crew, had put it immense amounts of time and work. Their efforts were definitely worth it, considering the quality of the performance on its closing day, Sunday, Mar. 15.

This Shakespearean comedy succeeded in living up to the word comedy. Laughter filled the theater dozens of times throughout the performance, and, like a good comedy should, A Midsummer Night’s Dream ended on a positive note. Surely, this play proves that Shakespeare was and is a prime example of a talented comedic playwright.

The play is about two women (Hermia and Helena) and two men (Lysander and Demetrius). Hermia is the object of Lysander’s and Demetrius’ affection. Hermia, who loves Lysander, is friends with Helena, who loves Demetrius. Unrequited love, despite the sadness it can bring, is actually quite humorous in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Laura Bozzone portrays a needy, clingy, perhaps (a bit) crazy Helena who loves him the more she is hated. Dan Rice (Demetrius) pulls off disgust with Helena with ease. Emily Hartford (Hermia) and Scott Romstadt (Lysander) truly appear to be in love. The acting skills of these four students are very impressive.

The play takes place in the woods in Athens. The scenery consists of one large backdrop that changes color numerous times throughout the production, depending on the time of day. Sometimes, the backdrop is filled with red, orange and pink colors (to represent daybreak), and other times it is numerous shades of blue and purple (to signify dusk). For the scenes taking place in Athens, large banisters stood on either side of the stage. In the woods, there were either a few trees or lots of shrubbery. Scene changes were quick and interesting to watch. The trees and shrubbery were not actual standing objects, but rather one-dimensional pieces of painted cardboard attached to a net which hung from above the stage.

This particular production was not the typical A Midsummer Night’s Dream seen in movies. The fairies were not, in any way, the usual feminine, delicate fairies some may be used to seeing. They did not wear pastel colors or pretty makeup. Instead, they were dressed in a gothic manner, wearing lots of black and dark eye makeup. They also were rather racy, wearing tight, minimal amounts of clothing and high-heeled boots. The attendants on Oberon looked similar. Their unique appearances completely threw the audience off. Lysander, Hermia, Helena and Demetrius were dressed in the sort of costumes one might expect: light colors, eyelet skirts for the women, suits for the men. The four were also barefoot throughout the second act, giving them an easygoing, casual look, unlike the somewhat creepy appearances of the fairies and attendants, that clashed with each other.

The music was minimal and used in all of the right places. The play opened up with a stage filled with scenery, no actors, with a minute or so if joyful, triumphant music. Whenever characters of royalty entered the stage, a trumpet blared in announcement. When Puck and Oberon cast spells on their unsuspecting victims (Lysander, Demetrius, Nick Bottom, and Titania), strums of a harp would sound and bells and chimes would ring. The music was also prerecorded, something that was appreciated by those with front row seats, as having an orchestra right in front would have been distracting.

One distraction was in the performances of the Indian Boys, Trevor and Dylan Henderson. Granted, they are just young children, but one of them must have had a cold-he kept coughing and rubbing his nose. He also appeared to be a little bit nervous, removing and adjusting his crown of flowers. He kept trying to grab the hand of the other one, and the other boy would just smack his hand away. Considering this was a college production, one would have thought the boys would be under wonderful guidance and refrain from doing this.

Overall, it was a visually unique production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: the costumes, the makeup and the scenery. The cast and crew did a phenomenal job in staging this Shakespearean comedy in such an atypical way. From the laughter and conversation heard in the audience, the Drama Department succeeded in what they wanted to do: entertain.