American Players Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Casey Hoekstra, Jim DeVita, and Joshua M. Castille
American Players Theatre Presents A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Review - Double The Trouble, Double The Fun
TLDR: American Players Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a classic delivery of this Shakespearean fan favorite. Dynamic duos is the theme of the night as each couple plays off each other, including an added bonus of two Pucks to cause double the mischief and fun.
Samantha Newcomb, Xavier Edward King, Maggie Cramer, and Josh Krause
The Duality of Man (And Fae) at American Players
Ah, young summer love. No performance could be more fitting for an outdoor theater on a warm summer night than A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Underneath the sky turning pink and dusky, we enter into the world of Athenian lovers and woodland fairies.
The pairs of Athenian couples play off each other’s energies. Hermia and Lysander, played by Samantha Newcomb and Xavier Edward King, are in love and determined to be together. Helena and Demetrius, played by Maggie Cramer and Josh Krause, have a flair for the dramatic as Cramer bemoans her plight of unrequited love and Krause tries to shake off Helena’s advances. When the fairies’ interference switches everything up, both men turn into lovesick puppies while Cramer storms off in a fiery rage as she believes they’re playing a trick on her and Newcomb needs to be held back as her anger over being betrayed overtakes her.
Jim DeVita and Elizabeth Ledo as King Oberon and Queen Tatiana make a fierce pair like fire and ice. He wears warm, auburns and red colors while she’s dazzling in icy gray adorned with flowers and vines with white hair. He speaks in soft, warm tones and she in sharp jabs when angered.
Our troupe of actors hoping to make it big at the royal wedding add even more comedy with their antics. Sam Luis Massaro as Nick Bottom pauses for dramatic effect when he first enters with the head of a donkey, the large eyes of the costume’s head staring out over the audience. It takes truly talented actors to make us believe they are bad at acting. But when it comes time for their performance of “Pyramus and Thisbe,” they deliver their performance with the panache of a beginners improv troupe attempting to overcome their stage fright with halting voices and replaying scenes until they get it perfect.
But what really sets this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream apart is casting the role of Puck as two actors. Played by both Joshua M. Castille and Casey Hoekstra, the two seem to have endless amounts of energy as they bound across the stage reveling in the night’s mischief. They race up and down the aisles running to do Oberon’s requests. They pull faces and literally bounce off one another as an inseparable pair we find ourselves looking forward to every time they're on stage.
The Forest Grows Thick On The Players
As the city of Athens is preparing for the royal wedding, each member of this society is in their finest white garb. Marcus Truschinski and Melisa Pereyra as the royal couple look regal in their cream and gold dress clothes. Hermia and Helena’s dresses are made from a shiny white and silky material that reflects the different green, purple, and blue lights in the forest.
The forest folk on the other hand, bloom with earthy colors. Tatiana’s fairies look like little moth inspired sprites with gray cloaks and fuzzy antennae. Puck in a loud green print and white hair aligns them with the fairies but still makes them unmistakable in a crowd.
As they delve deeper and deeper into the forest, the Athenians find themselves slowly overtaken by the forest. A stream of moss, leaves, and flowers dons Hermia’s shoulder, another on Helena’s hip. Lysander and Demetrius find their boots picking up the same mossy bouquets after traipsing through the wood. They are slowly becoming more and more entrenched in the forest until it is time for the magic to dissipate and they “wake up” from their dream. Though when everyone has their happy ending (hopefully no spoilers there), they don’t return to their pure white garbs. Now having experienced the magic of the forest, the changed couples come out in beautifully embroidered dresses and suits with bright blossoms and leaves.
The After Party Thoughts
By far the most enjoyable and laugh-out-loud funny part of the show is Hoekstra and Castille as Puck. Puck is a fun character on his own and always gets laughs from the audience. But usually no other character can match his chaotic energy, so he’s usually solo as he makes us laugh. Now when we have two Pucks together, they have their own counterpart to play off of and double the fun. They flank DeVita as they listen to his instructions. They climb over one another and laugh. They split the lines between them and deliver them in both spoken English and ASL adding another layer to their dynamic duo.
One thing that confused me about this production was the set design. Usually for me set design is one of those things that is either positive or neutral, it rarely strikes me as a detractor. But for this version, I didn’t really feel transported into this mysterious, enchanted forest inhabited by fairies. The two biggest set pieces were a set of movable stairs and a round platform that became the fairies hideaway, which the actors made use of running up and down and climbing on them both. Rugs on the floor of the stage attempted to create different settings but didn’t really add to the atmosphere.
With that aside, if the language and delivery are the most important thing for you when you go see a Shakespeare play, American Player’s production will still hit the mark for you. This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is finely acted and a solid, classic delivery of the show. For those that are longtime fans of the play and lovers of classic takes on Shakespeare, this would be a good fit for you!
RECOMMENDED
When
Now through October 5, 2025
Where
American Players Theatre
Hill Theatre
5950 Golf Course Road
Spring Green, WI 53588
Runtime: 2hrs 55 minutes, including an intermission
Tickets
$55+
Tickets can be purchased through the box office by calling 608-588-7401 or through the American Players Theatre website
Photos
Michael Brosilow
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago
(Front) Xavier Edward King, Samantha Newcomb, and Josh Krause , (Behind) Jim DeVita and Maggie Cramer
CAST
Marcus Truschinski (Theseus)
Melisa Pereyra (Hippolyta)
Tim Gittings (Philostrate)
David Alan Anderson (Egeus)
Samantha Newcomb (Hermia)
Xavier Edward King (Lysander)
Josh Krause (Demetrius)
Maggie Cramer (Helena)
Sun Mee Chomet (Quince)
Sam Luis Massaro (Bottom)
James Ridge (Flute)
Nate Burger (Snout)
Colin Covert (Starveling)
Molly Martinez-Collins (Snug)
Joshua M. Castille, Casey Hoekstra (Puck)
Jim DeVita (Oberon)
Elizabeth Ledo (Titania)
Jose Cervantes, Alexa Christian, Jacob Alexander Craig, Jonathan Gardner, Ray Huth, Shariba Rivers, Kelly Simmons (Fairies)
Jose Cervantes, Ray Huth (Guards)
Sam Luis Massaro
CREATIVE
David Daniel (Director)
Rosie Ward (Voice & Text Coach)
Lindsay Welliver (Assistant Director)
Daniele Tyler Mathews (Costume Design)
Nathan Stuber (Scenic Design)
Michael A. Peterson (Lighting Design)
Sartje Pickett (Music Composition & Sound Design)
Brian Cowing (Choreography)
Jeb Burris (Intimacy, Movement & Fight Director)
Jem Tepe (Assistant Costume Design)
Havalah Grace Teaman (Lead ASL Interpreter)
Caden Zane Marshall (ASL Interpreter)
Bri Humke, Nora Murphy (Stage Management Assistants)
Rivka Kelly (Stage Manager)