'Midsummer' musings

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the third BLO production I have had the pleasure of seeing, and I must say although all three were products of the same organization, they were all so uniquely different that it is so difficult to compare them to each other; and even more difficult to pick a favorite.

I think the thing that struck me the most about Midsummer (aside from the adorable children’s chorus), was the juxtaposition of the classic Shakespearean story and characters with such an interesting and unusual set. From the various shapes and sizes of moons that appeared throughout the show, to a set comprised entirely of yellow chairs in a variety of positions and sizes; the set definitely brought an other-worldly feeling, and helped to place Oberon and the faeries in a different type of mystical setting.  The set, which was rather eerie at times, helped to emphasize the unsettling moments in Britten’s score; while the various forest set pieces featuring cartoon trees, then, more literally, the words “tree” and “leaf” underscored the more whimsical side of Britten’s orchestrations.

In comparison to the other productions BLO has done this season, I think this cast was definitely the largest. With the various subplots throughout the story there were so many characters to pay attention to. My personal favorites were the men in the acting troupe, led by Andrew Shore as Nick Bottom. They provided the perfect amount of real comedy in a show based entirely on fantasy.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 out of 4 productions I was able to see this season, and I am already looking forward to next year’s lineup. Midsummer definitely has me very excited to see BLO take on another Shakespearean work with Macbeth next fall; and after such a unique experience with The Emperor of Atlantis I am really curious to see the next Opera Annex production of The Lighthouse set in the JFK Library. I hope to continue to see many new faces with The BLO Bunch after next season’s shows!

-- Katie McNamara