So Schlub and Mrs. went off to Mordor (you know it as DC)
and took in A Midsummer Night's Dream
at the Shakespeare Theater. Out freakin' standing. The play, I mean. Not
Mordor.
And that's pretty much due to two actors: Adam Green, a national
treasure, and Bruce Dow, a NYC treasure. Yes, yes, the other actors/actresses
(God, how sexist) were equally outstanding, but there are two roles in Dream that make or break the show: Puck
and Bottom...Puck and Bottom, hmm, sounds like an odd sexual practice, but I
digress.
Adam Green was Puck, and he brought his usual combination of
timing and physicality, both of which makes him one of the best comedic actors
on stage. I've seen him in The Liar
and All's Well that Ends Well and he
pretty much stole both shows; well, at least, kept up with Tony Roach in
Liar. And he stole this one, too, especially in the mud wrestling scene.
Yes. Mud wrestling, something you usually don't associate
with Shakespeare, but there it was. And it involved girls, Christiana Clark as
Helena and Amelia Pedlow as Hermia. Wowsers. But, before you get your raincoat
and empty-bottom barrel of popcorn ready, it was quite tasteful, more funny
than...anything. Tasteful mud wrestling, you query? Hey, c'mon, it's
Shakespeare.
Bruce Dow is, also, one of the funniest human beings on the
earth, and he played Bottom's over-the-top role so over-the-top that I was on
the floor. I want to see a two-man Green and Dow show.
Must give a shout-out to Tim Campbell and Sarah Topham, who
played Theseus/Oberon and Hippolyta/Titiana, respectively and brilliantly. A
chest bump between Oberon and Puck was a highlight. Mention of Robert Dorfman
as Snug is required because he was hilarious in a very minor role. The play
within the play was even funnier than the play. The ensemble was outstanding,
the set was outstanding, everything was outstanding.
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