At the last minute on Friday afternoon, Eric Celeste, after a hard day of shooting people with his finger guns, asked me to be his date to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Wyly. Given the glowing review of the play from the fruit of my loins, I jumped at the chance. And if you’ll be so kind as to jump, I’ll share some pics and some thoughts from the night (which included an after party at Jorge’s).
I had a blast. The phrase “Shakespearean comedy” has always rung a bit hollow for me. Oh, I get it. It’s the opposite of a tragedy. But a comedy? A comedy comedy, where you laugh real laughs, not just chuckle at word play? I’d never seen a staging of a Shakespeare play that did that for me — until I saw the DTC’s Midsummer. Man, I literally laughed till I cried. I’m not as subtle as Jerome Weeks, who found several problems with the play. I could watch Chamblee Ferguson’s Bottom kill himself repeatedly for at least 20 minutes before I tired of it.
Spoiler alert: at the end of the play, the audience is invited to get up onstage and dance with the cast. Not only do I bet that Weeks didn’t get up and dance, I bet that he doesn’t dance.
A few other items of note:
— Mayor Tom Leppert sat second row center. I am not the only one who observed that he didn’t seem to enjoy himself (not entirely). He sat most of the time with his chin in one or the other of his giant hands. This is an unfair observation to make. Who am I to say whether he enjoyed himself or how he should look while attending a comedy? Nonetheless, dude’s smile muscle is broken. That’s all I’m saying.
— Intermission was a disaster. The lobby simply can’t handle an entire audience. The lines to get drinks were long enough that even eager drinkers who jumped out of their seats to beat the rush (that’d be Eric and yrs trly) were not able to get a drink before the house lights blinked to summon us back to our seats. People just ignored the cue. And the drinks! The stingiest pour in the history of pours of Jack on rocks set me back $9. A crime. This is not the DTC’s problem. It’s the PAC’s. They run the lobby and concessions. Please fix this. Add another bar. Charge less (or pour properly).
— At the after party at Jorge’s, Kevin Moriarty told me that my son’s review of the play was one of the most satisfying he’s had in his career. He was being polite. Still, it’s silly how proud I was to hear that. Oh, also, I got to meet Liz Mikel, who played Titania. When she walked in, I asked if I could get her a drink. Without hesitation, she said, “Double shot of Crown, neat.” I love that woman.
— Finally, my statement of material connection: I did not pay for my ticket. Neither did Eric. I cannot be trusted. And not just because I got a free ticket.
