Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Centennial Park Bandshell

Eight years ago, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival presented their final Shakespeare in the Park show at the Bandshell in Centennial Park before relocating their annual tradition to oneC1ty Nashville. The last production they did was the forever iconic A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it was the first NSF summer show I got to see. As nice as oneC1ty is, I had truly missed the warm feeling of viewing Shakespeare in Centennial Park. Thankfully, after some improvements to the Bandshell, the Bard returns to the park where it all began back in 1988, and they’re doing the same show they had initially ended their run in the park with. I was so pumped that I bought a little flower crown from the merch table and FINALLY bought some alcohol at the park. Adding to the excitement was the fact that I got to interview Artistic Director Jason Spelbring and Puck’s actor Reagan Allen a few weeks before Opening Night, which you all should totally read if you haven’t already. I was happy to say that the show wasn’t over-hyped, as everyone cheered and laughed from start to finish. Running at Centennial Park’s Bandshell August 20 to September 20, A Midsummer’s Night Dream is proof that the Nashville Shakespeare Festival has yet to lose the magic. 

Since Shakespeare’s work will continue to be done for centuries, different takes have been done on his shows. No Shakespeare production will ever be done the same way, and that goes for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As a lifelong fan who has been in two separate productions of this magical play, I always look forward to a company’s take on the overall presentation. I'm not the best at detecting a show's time period unless it’s really distinct, but it appears this production was set sometime before the 1920s. Once I found my seat, I couldn’t help but admire the attention to details in Will Butler’s set design. Yes, it simply consisted of wooden boards covering everything with a few lanterns added for good measure, but the precise coloring and arrangement of the boards made all the difference. Darren E. Levin’s whimsical lighting design really brings another level of magic to the project, as do Gigi Englehart’s adorable sound design and Randy Craft’s music direction. I couldn’t help but giggle at some of the sound effects, and the musical numbers were enough to make the audience either clap along or sway in their seats (or on their blankets). Adding yet another level of magic were the combined efforts of Melissa Durmon’s costume designs and Shannon Spencer’s props. The period-appropriate costumes for the mortals were already a challenge, but I can only imagine the work that went into the fairies’ costumes. They looked like a combination of the Lost Boys (Peter Pan, not vampires) and Middle Earth elves, and I loved them all. I was especially impressed with the add-ons for the rude mechanicals, from Bottom’s donkey accessories to the wall. Sure, we focus directly on the actors whenever we see a show, but the crew gives them a beautiful and safe world to run around in. Nothing would run smoothly without the help of everyone from the fight coordinator to the stage manager. I apologize for not naming every single crew member in my review, but I appreciate everything that you do in keeping the magic safe and contained in the space. However, I will spare the time in thanking the pre-show entertainment coordinator, Dakota Collins, for booking Andy Kahrs the night I attended. He was a pleasure to listen to. 

Earlier this month, I was asked to interview NSF’s Artistic Director Jason Spelbring, who also directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While this was his first time directing a summer show for the company, he already has an impressive directing resume. I had previously reviewed a production of Sister Act the Musical that he had directed for Nashville Repertory Theatre, but it took me nearly a day to notice that I had somehow forgotten to mention him in the review. Well, I’m certainly not going to forget this time! He did state that he had directed a separate production of the show elsewhere, but he had a much bigger challenge in ushering the company’s big return to the park. Based on his persona in our interview alone, he seemed like a warm and collected individual who could handle such a task. He even said in the program (alongside Executive Director Isabel Tipton-Krispin), “As Shakespeare writes, “The course of true love never did run smooth,” and perhaps the same can be said of returning home.” Needless to say, Spelbring nailed it. He clearly gave everyone from the cast to the crew the opportunity to flourish in the space, and he truly captured the joy and energy of the script. As someone who has done two separate productions of the play, it is worth noting that there is still a serious layer to this comedy. It doesn’t have to be too serious, but it is still needed to keep it all grounded. After all, the dispute between Oberon and Titania serves as a serious threat to the fairy world, and Hermia is risking her own life to be with Lysander. I think that Spelbring found the right center point for the serious aspect of the script without letting it get overshadowed completely by the comedy. Of course, the audience needs the comedy as an escape from reality, and Spelbring gives it every opportunity to run wild. I would also like to give a shout out to his assistant director, Claire Pals. Good work all around.

Unlike some of Shakespeare’s more straight-forward plays like Romeo and Juliet with its singular storyline, A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains three storylines that cross paths at various points. Each one has its own wonderful cast of characters, and this production takes it a step further by casting some actors in more than one role. It might cut down on the overall number of cast members, but it also serves as wonderful acting challenges for the performers. Granted, the overall number of cast members isn’t really cut down thanks to the inclusion of the Youth Company Cast, which switches every weekend. To make things less complicated, I’m going to separate my acting reviews for each storyline. And since some actors play more than one role, don’t be surprised if you see their names pop up in more than one paragraph.

Let’s start with the cast of royal Athenians, who tell the story of four lovers who get lost in the woods. I’ll focus more on Morgan-Ellene Davis and Taylor Novak later, but for now I shall highlight their introductions as Hippolyta and Theseus, respectively. They have the first lines in the show, and they welcome everyone with their charm and chemistry. This won’t be the last time we see them play a couple in the show, but it serves as a nice sneak peek of things to come. Two other actors who play different characters are Andrew Johnson as Egeus and Reid Gregory as Philostrate. I wish to save Johnson for the next paragraph, but I’ll take the time to highlight Gregory for her simple-yet-comedic delivery as Philostrate. It’s certainly a contrast from her other portrayal as Chrysalis, and she manages to hold her own next to Novak as Theseus. And of course, we have the four lovers. Please forgive me for my language, but Nick Govindan and Trey Smith are freakin’ hilarious as Lysander and Demetrius. Whether they were delivering the laughs on their own, together, or with the ladies, they had the audience in stitches. They each had this suave sort of chaos that I didn’t even think was possible to exist. I loved it. I had once seen Chelsea Bell as Ophelia in NSF’s production of Hamlet so many years ago, as well as last year’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor as Hostess, so I was curious to see how she’d play the role of Hermia. I had stated earlier in my review that the show has this level of seriousness in the middle of all the comedy, and Hermia is one of the main causes. Whoever plays this role needs to bring this facade of a tragic character before stripping it all away to reveal an unexpectedly humorous lady. Thankfully, Bell was the one for the job. She brings the vulnerability of a young woman who is risking her own life to be with the man she loves. The next thing we know, she is playing a fiery woman who has had enough and just wants to be understood in the midst of misunderstanding. I had actually met Bell when we were students at MTSU all the way back in 2014, and I’m so proud of how far she has come. And last but not least, we have Caroline Conner as Helena. I had played this role in my first Midsummer production, so I was ready to lock eyes on her and observe her every acting choice. Ok, I’m just kidding, but I was curious to see how she’d play the role. I feel like some people forget that Helena isn’t just a comedic character; she’s a heartbroken young woman who was tossed aside by Demetrius. I’m sure that plenty of audience members can relate to rejection, especially young women in love. Conner captured that heartbreak perfectly. And like Bell, she shows this vulnerable side before slowly shedding her skin to reveal this comedic side. I lost it when she lifted up her skirt to show Demetrius her ankle. All four lovers coordinated so well with each other, and they left everyone in smiles and stitches. 

The next cast of characters is the bunch of rude mechanicals who present the play-within-a-play. They and a few other actors also open both acts with some songs, meaning that they are the first ones to greet the audience before the first lines are spoken. Kicking off this cast is Marian Storvik, who plays Petra Quince before later playing a fairy named Moth. Storvik and I had actually done a different production of Midsummer together back in 2023, and I find it ironic that we had both gone from the role of Helena to a rude mechanical. As Quince, Storvik is a silly ticking time bomb of impatience, and she somehow manages to stand out in the group. Before playing Peaseblossom, Dawson Wise starts out as Starveling. This character can be a very easy one to blend into the background if not cast properly, but Wise was making people laugh by just standing there with that dog at the end. He certainly got a laugh out of me. Clay Johnson, who later gets to join the fairies as Nest, plays the fun role of Snug/Lion. He was just so lovable as the nervous mechanical, and the crowd cheered every time he roared. Before playing Cobweb, Andrew Carr first appears as Snout. This is the one who gets to play the Wall in the mini play, and it was also the character I played in the second-ever production of Midsummer that I got to do. As a fellow wall, I think that Carr perfectly captured the awkwardness of playing an inanimate object in such an uncomfortable position. I may be a wall, but I salute you. When he’s not playing Mustardseed, John Walters Burkhart is killing everyone with his comedic delivery as Flute/Thisbe. In between the comedy, Burkhart brings this sincere side to Thisbe that I honestly wasn’t expecting. Most actors just play the part for laughs, but I was surprisingly touched by Burkhart’s brief sincerity in the role. For once, I wanted to take the time to actually enjoy the mini play as the tragedy it was meant to be before it fell into the hands of the mechanicals. Also, those fake breasts of his looked better than my real ones. Jealous. And finally, I can take the time to shine a spotlight on Andrew Johnson as Bottom. I was amazed at how well Johnson could switch between his two different roles, and I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that he was playing Bottom. After all, I had once seen him as Benedick in NSF’s 2023 production of Much Ado About Nothing. Everyone loved him so much that they cheered for every little thing he did. Johnson could’ve passed gas and someone in the crowd would’ve presented him with a Tony Award. While he certainly steals the show, he also finds the time to fit in so well with his fellow cast members. All together, the mechanicals are a work of art.

And finally, we conclude with the fairy cast. I mentioned earlier that there is a Youth Company Cast that switches out every weekend. These talented young actors play the non-principle player fairies, and they were all so cute and charming. Along with Reid Gregory, nearly every mechanical played one of the supporting fairies. They all worked so well together, and they served as loving guides to the younger cast. Katie Broderick plays Meabh, the first fairy who speaks to Puck. Despite not having too many lines, Broderick still stands her ground next to a scene stealer like Puck. She was very whimsical, and I’m sure she made the children in the audience light up with glee. Whenever they’re not playing Hippolyta and Theseus, Morgan-Ellene Davis and Taylor Novak are enchanting the crowd as Titania and Oberon. I absolutely adored the chemistry between the two, no matter who they were playing. I also admired the intensity in their depictions of the fairies. Davis is delightfully devilish as the fairy queen who knows what she wants, and Novak is almost hypnotic as the fairy king. He is flawless in his line delivery, but I was just as intrigued by his body language. And before the story ends, we must leave the final scene for Reagan Allen as Puck. I got to interview Allen along with Spelbring, and she was just a delight to speak with. Listening to her on a Zoom call was enough for me to get all hyped up for her Nashville theatre debut, and she didn’t disappoint me one bit. She had shared in our interview that “the most challenging and exciting part of the role for her has been finding and shaping the comedy”. I could tell that she had put her stand-up and improvisation skills to good use, as she gave the energy of a late-night sidekick in her scenes with Oberon. Whenever the focus was on her, she made sure that the focus stayed there. Everything about her was entertaining, and I cannot wait to see what she does next. 

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