Albany Civic Theater director takes 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to the extreme with colorful cultural influences

Not since Baz Luhrmann astounded the world with his modern-day version of "Romeo + Juliet" in 1996 have I seen Shakespeare's verse taken to such an extreme.

As a fan of the Bard and of Luhrmann's work, it's a nice change to see Albany Civic Theater Director Robert Leff thinking on the same artistic level as Luhrmann for "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Leff's colorful take on the popular comedy opens at 8 p.m. Friday at ACT in downtown Albany.

Additional performances will be at 8 p.m. May 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 and 31, and June 1 and 2; and at 2:30 p.m. May 20 and 27.

What gives the ACT version a real kick is how Leff interweaves Caribbean and Latin American themes.

This version comes complete with an Argentinian tango, Latin music, boldly colored sets and costumes, and is so bright, there is no way you'll be looking away.

When Leff first told me about his "theme," it took me some time to wrap my mind around it. How on earth was he going to pull it off?

But the answers lie within the play and the fact that Shakespeare blended characters' names from several cultures - Oberon from a French legend; the fairies' names from English folk medicine; and Theseus and Hippolyta from Greek mythology.

While researching on how exactly he wanted to make the play "bold," he realized the art and culture of the Caribbean and Latin America blend many cultures in the same way the Bard does.

"It was a better match than I originally thought," Leff said.

The play will also work well for those who love Shakespeare in his purest form.

Although Leff has incorporated bold themes within artistic elements, "Midsummer" is still set in Athens, Greece, and it still holds true to the author's poetic verse.

"We've worked very hard to make the play accessible to the audience, that the language is as clear as we can possibly make it," he said. "We've changed the text very little, but the idea was kept in mind: 'How can we make this clear?"

It is through this cast's wonderful performance that Leff's ambitions to make the language "people friendly" is accomplished.

Over the years, I have seen actors who can pull off the old English turn of phrase as naturally as if they were using modern words. You can tell the bulk of this cast has put in the effort to make sure that everything they say comes out naturally and makes sense using the given language.

To date, I have yet to be disappointed when I see Miles Fletcher's name on a cast list. Fletcher plays Robin Goodfellow (Puck), the trickster who causes mischief on behalf of his master, Oberon, and for his own amusement.

The character typically is energetic and very physical, and Fletcher fits the bill. In every show I've seen him in, he brings such energy and enthusiasm to the performance that the audience will not be able to take its eyes off him.

I've also had the pleasure of watching John Carone on numerous occasions. This ACT regular plays Nick Bottom, the actor who Puck turns into a donkey. Carone is energetic, enthusiastic and everything Bottom should be. His comedic timing is truly what I imagine Shakespeare intended.

Additional cast members include: Jonathan Pedersen of Lebanon as Duke Theseus and Oberon; Pamela Bilderbeck of Salem as Hippolyta and Titania; Fletcher of Albany also as the Philostrate; Christopher D. Rivera of Corvallis as Egeus; Krisi Keen of Lebanon as Hermia; Trevor Brandt of Salem as Lysander; Logan K. Welch of Corvallis as Demetrius; Caren Parmenter of Corvallis as Helena; Nancy Homan of Albany as Perri Quince; Jack Zale of Corvallis as Francis Flute; Shauna Kiefiuk of Albany as Twyla Snout; Loren Dunn of Scio as Snug; Amanda Bonn of Albany as Robin Starveling; Hannah Rivera of Corvallis as Costomate; Erin Holtey of Corvallis as Moth; Alexa Miller of Albany as Peaseblossom; Asa Hackett of Corvallis as Mustardseed; and Joshua Long of Albany as Cobweb.

Crew members include: Don Taco, set and lighting design; Linda Brown, costume design; Peter Gysegem, tango choreographer; Stephanie Long, vocal director; and Jodi Altendorf, poster and program art.

CHECK IT OUT

WHAT: "A Midsummer Night's Dream," by William Shakespeare.

WHERE: Albany Civic Theater, 111 First Ave., downtown.

WHEN: 8 p.m. May 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 and 31, and June 1, 2; and at 2:30 p.m. May 20 and 27.

TICKETS: $10 for general admission and $7 for people over 60 and under 18. Tickets are available at Sid Stevens Jewelers in Albany and Rice's Pharmacy in Corvallis or the ACT box office 45 minutes before curtain.

ACT Next Season

Sept. 7-22, 2007: "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare. Directed by Gregg Burgess. Two young suitors seek to woo the fair Bianca, but her father will have none of it until her shrewish older sister, Katherine, is wed. Enter Petruchio, who vows to capture the reluctant Kate - and watch the fireworks fly!

Oct 19-Nov 3, 2007: "Wonder of the World" by David Lindsay-Abaire. Directed by John Elliott. When Cass discovers a shocking secret about her husband, she flees to the honeymoon capital of the world in search of the life she thinks she missed out on. A wild ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel of laughs.

Nov 30-Dec 15, 2007: "Goodbye, Charlie" by George Axelrod. Directed by Jackie Tasker. Charlie was a demon lover, a connoisseur of wines and the possessor of a fine backhand. He met his end trying to escape through a porthole on a cuckold's yacht. Now Charlie has returned - as a woman.

Jan 11-19, 2008: "Dinner with Friends" by Donald Margulies. Directed by Pat Kight. What happens to two married couples - best friends for years - when one of the marriages breaks up? Margulies' 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winner brings intelligence and spiky humor to an all-too-common circumstance of modern life, creating a deeply affecting story that resonates with life, warmth and wisdom.

Feb. 15-Mar 8, 2008: "Hello, Dolly" by Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman, based on the play by Thornton Wilder. Directed by Christi Sears. "And what do you do for a living, Mrs. Levi?" asks a character in the first scene of this most delightful of musical comedies. "Some people paint, some sew … I meddle," replies Dolly. And we're off on a whirlwind race around New York at the turn of the 20th century, following the adventures of America's most beloved musical matchmaker.

Mar 28-Apr 5, 2008: "Drawer Boy" by Michael Healey. Directed by Robert Leff. A young actor arrives on a small Canadian farm to research a play about country life. His encounter with two middle-aged bachelor farmers - Morgan and Angus, who has a profound brain injury that leaves him unable to remember anything - launches a chain of events that reveals a secret and the ultimate power of friendship.

Apr 25-May 10, 2008: "The Diary of Anne Frank" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman, directed by Kay Roth. Newly discovered writings from the diary of Anne Frank, as well as survivor accounts, are interwoven to create an impassioned, contemporary story of the lives of people persecuted under Nazi rule. A new adaptation for a new generation.

May 30-June 14, 2008: "Fawlty Towers" by John Cleese and Connie Booth. Directed by Harriet Nixon. Fans of Monty Python and Britcoms in general will roar at this stage adaptation of three episodes from the hilarious BBC TV series. Fawlty Towers is the best-loved bad hotel in the world, a hilarious romp through the daily mishaps of a belligerent, bull-headed and bumbling hotel owner, Basil Fawlty and his crew of misfit employees, his put-upon wife and a slew of odd guests.

June 18-21, 2008: "The Last Five Years" (special event) by Jason Robert Brown. Directed by Carri Moffatt. A contemporary, two-character musical that ingeniously chronicles the five-year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up … or from break-up to meeting, depending on how you look at it.

July 11-19, 2008: "Nickel and Dimed" by Joan Holden, based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich. Directed by Johanna Spencer. Can a middle-aged, middle-class woman survive when she suddenly has to make beds all day and live on $7 an hour? Maybe. But she'll have to do back-to-back shifts as a hotel chambermaid and a waitress. A moving, urgent comic epic about the lives of women on the margins.

Aug. 8-23, 2008: "The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" by the Reduced Shakespeare Co. (Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield). Directed by Miranda Prince. A whirlwind jaunt through all 37 of William Shakespeare's published works, including the sonnets. This smart, funny and irreverent show will have you laughing out loud.