As I sat in the sweltering heat, mask on for good measure, looking out at the view from my seat at the Mosta amphitheatre, the much-anticipated production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by WhatsTheirNames Theatre began to take shape. Slightly lightheaded from the heat, and happily sipping a beer, what transpired on the stage before my eyes was an unequivocal delight.
As directed by Philip Leone-Ganado, this interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays provided some much-needed respite from the nightmares of everyday life, all the while in full accord with the spirit of Shakespeare’s original mischievous intent.
Midsummer takes audiences on a jaunt across several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, played by Nathan Brimmer, and Hippolyta, once Queen of the Amazons, played by Becky Camilleri, including the amorous upheavals of four young Athenians who escape into the woods in search of freedom.
Hermia, played by Tina Rizzo, is compelled by her father Egeus, played by Joe Azzopardi, to marry Demetrius, played by Joseph Zammit. Rather, she is in love with Lysander, played by Gianni Selvaggi. Her friend Helena, played by Sandie von Brockdorff, is in love with Demetrius, who cares for her not.
While in the wood, they are entwined in the antics of one Robin Goodfellow, better known as Puck, marvellously played by Azzopardi. They become part of the conflict between a fluttering of ancient spirits, including Oberon, King of the Fairies, played by Brimmer, and Titania, Queen of the Fairies, played by Camilleri, both of whom are at each other’s throats.
In another part of the wood, a troop of amateur actors prepare a play in honour of Theseus and Hippolyta called Pyramus and Thisbe (we are entreated to the fact that they are called the Mechanicals of Athens Dramatic Club or MADC).
Becky Camilleri as Titania.Among them is Bottom, played by Brimmer, who is transformed by Puck into an ass and turned into Titania’s love interest. The eccentric cacophony of actors eventually stage their play with great zeal, taken to new heights by, among others, Wall, played by Snout (Zammit) and Lion, played by Snug (Rizzo).
An unequivocal delight
Midsummer is unquestionably a play of great capaciousness, not least for its entanglement of subplots, but also for its subject matters, of which there is everything under the sun, whether love or strife or enchantment.
This capaciousness makes nothing unlikely, which is why the small idiosyncrasies WhatsTheirNames sprinkled across the play added a welcome singularity to its interpretation. Be it Puck eating popcorn in amusement or an attendant proclaiming “jaqq” when announcing the mechanicals’ play to Theseus and Hippolyta, or even the occasional modern ballad to illustrate their point, it was all executed fittingly and proportionately.
Often a production of this play would need to select which streak of subject matter to emphasise, typically erring either on the lovers’ or the fairies’ turmoil, and sometimes on the slapstick foolishness of the ‘mechanicals’. WhatsTheirNames interpreted Midsummer with utmost balance, always returning unscathed from the slightest excess.
The busyness of the subplots is harmonised with an aptitude testament to the director’s sensibility. The minimal cast too was rendered seamlessly. More so, even the moments in between scenes during points of transition were made memorable.
The choice of costumes by Nicole Cuschieri is neither period nor modern, somehow drawing from both as the occasion necessitates.
The minimal set design by Adam Brimmer risks being overlooked for its simplicity, but the mark of good design is invisibility. A notable point is the use of a tent that made its way onstage, the use of which was laudably strategic and effective.
Nathan Brimmer, playing Bottom, with Becky Camilleri as Titania.Sadly, the play was struck by some bad weather – the COVID-19 restrictions plaguing the artworld at present cast quite the ominous cloud over the whole production.
Speaking on the tumult the company had to endure, Leone-Ganado said that “the authorities wrote regulations that literally make no sense, such as restricting the June 7 reopening to ‘licenced theatres’ when there is no such thing as a ‘licenced theatre’ anywhere in Malta, and that outright discriminated against the arts – unfairly punishing us compared to other sectors.”
Having to change their dates and venue at the last minute to avoid the authorities’ wrath, Leone-Ganado noted the hypocrisy and arbitrariness of the rules imposed on the arts sector.
“If people can safely sit at socially distanced tables for an outdoor wedding, or at an outdoor restaurant, then why should the exact same principle not apply to an outdoor theatre production? How exactly does what people are looking at while sitting down impact virus transmission?
“On top of this, the authorities utterly failed to offer any clarity on their regulations, ignoring repeated calls and e-mails asking for information and providing us with contradictory or outright false information when we did manage to speak to someone, which made our good-faith efforts to be compliant next to impossible.
“Honestly, it’s baffling. We are not some massive money-making company. We’re a small collective of professional artists and most of us haven’t seen a proper pay cheque in over a year.
“Nobody, least of all small operators like us, is asking for a free-for-all. But we need clear regulations that allow for a safe and sensible reopening, not vague and arbitrary decisions that disincentivise any producers from taking the risk to create work.”
As we mortals contend with the nightmares of our waking lives, we may reflect a while on Puck’s parting lines: “If we shadows have offended, / Think but this, and all is mended, / That you have but slumber’d here / While these visions did appear.”