Photo Flash: The Bard Heads to the Bayou for Ruby in the Dust's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
By: Robert Diamond Jul. 27, 2015
Coming next week to the Arts Theatre, from August 4th to 29th, playing Tues to Sunday at 7.30 pm.
The magic of Shakespeare is derived from the fact that the renowned plays written by the Bard of Avon can nimbly be transported from London's Globe Theater in Elizabethan England to the spell-casting city of New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century. That's what Ruby In The Dust have done with their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, as they've taken the Bard to the bayou. Audiences who expect to hear the sound of the lute for musical accompaniment will be intrigued to listen to the jazz of Dr. John, who gave his approval for its inclusion, in this production.
Set in the city that gave birth to jazz, the story begins in the rundown New Orleans jazz clubs and winds its way into the dark, moody mystery of the Louisiana bayous. In addition to the music of Dr. John, the musical includes the songs of Louis Armstrong and Professor Longhair, as well as Randy Newman's Oscar-nominated song; Down in New Orleans, from Disney's The Princess and the Frog. Oberon and Titania are "The Night Tripper" and the Voodoo Queen, and the "Mechanicals" form one of the earliest of the jazz bands. And can you imagine Puck set loose in the city where there's practically a city ordinance requiring the making of mischief? The "play within a play" leads into a Mardi Gras jam session, and those members of the audience who are so moved, and so able, are invited to bring their instruments to jam with the cast after the shows on Fridays and Saturdays.
Ruby in the Dust was formed by director/writer Linnie Reedman and composer/musician/writer/ Joe Evans. Together, they've brought more than 12 productions to the stage that run the gamut from the fringe to the West End. They've proven their skill at integrating original and interpolated music into the text. Of Bonnie and Clyde, The Times critic wrote that it conjured a "powerful visual and musical atmosphere." They've won raves for their musical shows and because the stamp of authenticity that they place on every production is simultaneously true to its roots and boldly original, they've been able to use music that already claims a steadfast audience and introduce it to new ones. They received the blessing of the Cole Porter Estate to use several Porter compositions for their production of Hutch in 2013. Their adaptation of The Great Gatsby has been optioned by a U.S. producer, and developed with Royal Shakespeare Company's director Adrian Noble. The Telegraph said of the production of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic that it "grips throughout."
-photobypatrickdodds.jpg "Photo Flash: The Bard Heads to the Bayou for Ruby in the Dust's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM")
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