John Catron Photo by Dan Norman

Guthrie Artistic Director Joseph Haj directs this production, and it is a departure from the mountings of A Midsummer Night's Dream staged by his predecessor, Joe Dowling. Where Dowling spun gossamer from a tale of magic and whimsy, replete with light and athleticism, Haj aims right for the funny bone, mining the comedy in both the wordplay and physical encounters Shakespeare liberally lathered upon the play. Haj also brings a musical accompaniment to the occasion, with some of the text set to music in a variety of motifs that emphasize the show's intent to deliver bountiful entertainment. By all measures, this production succeeds at doing that.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is about nothing more than making sure the correct lovers end up paired off by the play's end. We learn nothing about any of the coupled characters to suggest why one coupling is more suitable than another; nonetheless, we feel cheered by the fact that–with the intervention of magic–all turns out happily in the end. There is also, for good measure, a burlesque of a melodrama, a play-within-the-play, saddled with the title The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe, performed by a rag-tag group of laborers trying their hands at theatrics. Shakespeare links the thespian hijinks to the romantic narrative by having the players preparing to perform at the imminent wedding of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.

With the wedding a few days away, one of Theseus' subjects, Egeus, brings his daughter Hermia to the court, seeking the Duke's intervention: Egeus has arranged for Hermia to wed a young man named Demetrius, as is his right as a father, but Hermia insists she will marry Lysander, for the two are very much in love. The customary penalty for her noncompliance is death. Hermia and Lysander plot to escape, hiding in the forest until they can get fully clear. Meanwhile, Helena, who is Hermia's best friend, pines for Demetrius, who has his eyes set squarely on Hermia–though it is not clear if that is based on him truly loving her or only because Egeus has promised her to him. Under cover of night, all four–Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius–venture into the forest, Demetrius to foil Hermia and Lysander's escape, Helena hoping that Demetrius sees the futility in this and turns his head to her.

Who else is in the forest? Fairies! King of the Fairies, Oberon, and Queen of the Fairies, Titania, hold court, though Oberon is angry with Titania for refusing to yield custody of a changeling given to her by a follower. To get back at Titania, Oberon sends his sprite Puck to retrieve a flower from which he makes a potion that will cause Titania, upon awakening, to fall in love with the first creature, human or beast, she lays eyes on. When Oberon observes Demetrius cruelly rebuking Helena's oaths of love for him, he sends Puck back to the forest with the potion to right the injustice the Athenian youth is doing to the maiden.

Puck turns out to not know one Athenian youth from another. Thus, things go haywire and hilarity ensues. Meanwhile, also in the woods, the aspiring actors are preparing their play, with the carpenter Peter Quince directing the effort. The weaver, Nick Bottom, pompously tries to take on all the roles. His vanity prompts Puck to play a trick on him, triggering even more hilarity when Titania awakes and spies Bottom in a changed form. As this is a Shakespearean comedy, it must end happily with a wedding, which in this case includes a performance of the sublimely ridiculous Pyramus and Thisbe.

To be sure, the plot is absurd, but if one accepts the notion that in this particular forest live fairies capable of magic, it can be enjoyed as an adorably sweet and heartily funny play. If its message is no more than to issue "hurrahs" for the triumph of love, who can find fault with that? Haj's muscular direction makes more of it, giving every character a particular temperament, activated with physical brio so that the humor and wit hit the audience with visceral force.

Haj has help aplenty from a wonderful ensemble of actors. As has become fairly standard practice, the roles of Athenians Theseus and Hippolyta and the fairy royals Oberon and Titania are double cast, with John Catron as the gentleman and Regina Maria Williams as the ladies. The play gives them far more to work with as the fairy king and queen, with Catron displaying a mirthful disposition as he plots to deploy his potion, and Williams wonderfully smitten with the unlikely paramour she meets in the woods. Puck is often cast as an ethereal character, lighter than air and full of mischief, but Jimmy Kieffer's Puck is a tired, balding middle-aged sprite prone to making pronouncements with a sarcastic bent, making for a wickedly fun change of pace.

The four young lovers are all making their Guthrie and, as far as I can tell, their Twin Cities debuts. This works well in having fresh, unfamiliar faces to portray the anguish and ecstasy of young love. Royer Bockus as Helena, Ari Derambakhsh as Hermia, Jonathan Luke Stevens as Lysander, and Justin Withers as Demetrius are excellent, all throwing themselves into the physicality this production asks of them while delivering the comedic elements with aplomb. Stevens and Derambakhsh convey a chemistry that makes the love for which they are willing to take bold risks seem like the real thing, and Derambakhsh is terrific at letting loose Hermia's manic anger.

The "Mechanicals," the tradesmen aspiring to be actors (Dustin Bronson as reticent Snug, who gets to play a docile lion; Aimee K. Bryant as Tom Snout, who plays a wall with a show-stopping diva turn; Kimberly Richardson as Robin Starveling, given the thankless role of playing the moonlight; William Sturdivant as Peter Quince, the exasperated director of the piece; and Max Wojtanowicz as Francis Flute, tasked with transforming his large frame into the romantic heroine Thisbe) are all wonderful. Nonetheless, Remy Auberjonois stands out as Nick Bottom, with the romantic lead of Pyramus and, for a spell, the Queen of the Fairies' unlikely paramour.

Jack Herrick's musical compositions are integrated into the rhythm of the play so that, whether spoken or sung, the text always feels as if it is delivered in the most natural way. Herrick performs on keyboard and other instruments on one side of the stage, with actors occasionally breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge him. Actor Royer Backus is credited with additional compositions. While the program doesn't specify which works are hers, I would venture to guess that the song she sings to open the show, a quirky welcome that engages the audience in a wholly disarming manner and sets the tone for an evening–or afternoon–of loose-limbed fun is her composition. Backus also leads the cast in singing a closing number, perhaps also one of her compositions, that wraps the show up in a warm embrace.

The production is further buoyed by stunningly bright visual elements, with Lex Liang's designs for both set and costumes bathed in lush floral displays, set beneath a bold full moon that looms as if exerting control over the proceedings. Isabella Byrd's lighting design and Darron L. West's sound design further contribute to the radiance of the production. Annie Enneking is credited as fight director for some highly entertaining brawls that break out among the young lovers.

In its sixty-two years, the Guthrie has staged five prior productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The last three of those were directed by Joe Dowling, whose rendition of the play was so cherished that it was restaged in his final season before retiring as artistic director. I am among those who loved Dowling's Dream, so I am happy to report that Joseph Haj has devised a different take on the classic that stakes its claim as a robust, bright comedy that provokes one of the most glorious and healthy sounds one can hear in the theater: laughter, and in massive doses. The finale that has been added to bring this Dream to an end wraps the show up with such a feeling of good will and gratitude, the audience leaves the theater almost willing to believe that the fairies have cast a spell on them. What else in these trying times could make a congregation of strangers trekking out into the cold feel this good?

A Midsummer Night's Dream runs through March 23, 2025, at the Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage, 618 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-377-2224 or visit GuthrieTheater.org.

Playwright: William Shakespeare; Director: Joseph Haj; Composer/Musician: Jack Herrick; Additional Compositions: Royer Backus; Scenic and Costume Design: Lex Liang; Lighting Design: Isabella Byrd; Sound Design: Darron L. West; Movement Director: Emily Michaels King; Vocal Coach: Keely Wolter; Fight Director/Intimacy by: Annie Enneking; Resident Dramaturg; Carla Steen; Resident Casting: Jennifer Liestman; NYC Casting Consultant: McCorkle Casting, Ltd.; Assistant Directors: Brandon Raghu; Stage Manager: Karl Alphonso; Assistant Stage Managers: Lindsay R. Harter, Jaya Robillard.

Cast: Remy Auberjonois (Nick Bottom), Royer Bockus (Helena), Davis C. Brinker (courtier/fairy), Dustin Bronson (Snug/Fairy), Aimee K. Bryant (Tom Snout/fairy), John Catron (Theseus/Oberon), Ari Derambakhsh (Hermia), May Heinecke (courtier/fairy), Jimmy Kieffer (Philostrate/Puck), Kenzi Nash (courtier/fairy), Kimberly Richardson (Robin Starveling/fairy), Jonathan Luke Stevens (Lysander), William Sturdivant (Egeus/Peter Quince), Tic Treitler (courtier/fairy), Regina Marie Williams (Hippolyta/Titania), Justin Withers (Demetrius), Max Wojtanowicz (Francis Flute/fairy).