Midsummer Act 2: Enter the Fairies

OK, I hope none of you thought yesterday that I had something against the fairies in this show. I think it is rad that Shakespeare made this play with fairies and all the nature connections and opportunities for moments of magic onstage are a JOY for performers to bring to life. So it’s lucky that we are finally getting to those feisty winged friends in the beginning of Act 2.  Puck is introduced through a brief encounter with an unnamed fairy before Oberon and Titania make their entrance. I like this because its kind of the opposite of what we got at the beginning of the play where Theseus and Hippolyta get the first line. Puck is a more common/ trickster figure as opposed to fairy royalty.

So we find out that Oberon and Titania are fighting. And that their being in Athens is related to the royal wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. We also find out a little more about Theseus- remember in Act 1 when I was trying to figure out if Theseus is a douche or an idiot? That guy is a douche. Here are some of Oberon’s lines to Titania that have been cut from EVERY PRODUCTION I’ve ever been a part of and it is little wonder why:

Didst not thou lead hi through the glimmering night

From Perigenia, whom he ravished?

And make him with fair Aegles break his faith,

With Ariadne, and Antiopa

Fun fact: the mythology behind Perigenia is that she hid in an asparagus patch while her father was killed. I did not know asparagus grew in patches. Not so fun fact: let’s highlight again how Theseus raped her. Seriously this guy is a creeper. Thoughts on whether its better to try and whitewash over this/cut it from all future productions vs. keep the dark/disturbing undertones in?

Teaching moment: Titania’s speech about the changeling boy and his mother is just perfectly beautiful. I give you all permission to describe me this way when I’m pregnant: “she, with pretty and with swimming gait, following… would imitate, andsail upon the land… and return again, as from a voyage, rich with merchandise”. Seriously- how much better is that description than “bun in the oven”

After Titania leaves, Oberon has a dirty speech that is also an important plot point. Nothing quite like getting to say “But I might see young Cupid’s fiery shaft/ Quenched in the chaste beams of the wat’ry moon” I’m going to assume that if you can’t get the gist of those lines you need a refresher course in jr. high health classes more than you need a no fear Shakespeare book… This speech goes on until Puck is sent to fetch the magic flower and then, as Helena and Demetrius enter Oberon says one of my FAVORITE lines: “I am invisible and overhear their conference” You guys, this is theatrical gold. (It’s a lot like “This is the forest of arden, only SO MUCH BETTER) Not only does the audience somehow just go along for the I’m invisible because I just told you I was ride- but now Oberon can listen to this conversation from anywhere instead of having to “hide” in some way- and he can INTERACT with Helena and Demetrius without them seeing him. This should be an actor’s playground.

A trip down memory lane: I did this Helena/Demetrius scene with Sean Lyons and we had it all choreographed so that i threw my arms around his legs and he tripped and fell and then he tied me up with his belt to keep me from chasing him. WE'd rehearsed it SO MANY TIMES and wouldn't you know that when he "tripped" my pinkie was separated from everything else and the weight of Sean's fall broke my pinkie. it was crooked past a 45 degree angle. I made it through the secene before i felt the rush of pain. yikes.

ACT 2 Scene 2

Philomele is a creepy thing to invoke in a lullabye. Thsoe of you who don't know the myth, hold off, we'll talk about it when we get to Titus Andronicus and it will be worth the wait but those who do- are you with me? I mean I get the nightengale association but seriously- creepy all the same. These woods are dark y'all. Anyway, the fairies sing a lullaby to keep all the spiders and whatnot away- but aparently they forgot to sing an enchantment against husbands because Oberon has no problem walking past whoever was supposed to stand guard and putting the magical love flower into Titania's eyes. 

Side note: I told Dan I want to keep a list of dysfunctional and a list of STRANGE marriages as i go through the canon. Oberon and Titania make both lists.

Once Titania is asleep and potioned and Oberon is gone again, in comes Lysander and Hermia who play out a delightful little scene that reminds me of an after school special discouraging sex before marriage. Hermia stand her ground and wont even let Lysander snuggle her to sleep so they fall asleep apart, prompting Puck to assume that they are actually demetrius and helena when he comes in with his magic flower a few seconds later. 

Director/actor moment: There is nothing better than playing this for kids and they know puck is about to screw it all up and are trying to tell him not to. love this stuff..

So we now have 3 sleeping bodies on stage, 2 of which are potioned, and in come two more actors: helena and demetrius. After Demetrius leaves here Helena thinks she is alone on stage and wishes she was Hermia. favorite line: "No, no; I am as ugly as a bear; For beasts that meet me run away for fear." - It is a true desire of mine to hear Stephen Colbert say these lines sometime on his show. Can someone make that happen?! 

The humor really gets rolling as Lysander wakes up and the magic flower makes him fall for Helena whiel she thinks he's mocking her b/c she has just talked herself into believeing she is ugly as a bear.

And just as things seem barrel of laughs Helena and Lysander leave stage and Hermia wakes from a horrible nightmare about a snake eating her heart. I'm just sayin- she should have let her boyfriend cuddle her.

Teaching moment: It really doesn't get simpler than this ENTIRE PLAY to teach rhyme scheme. I love how regular the scansion is and how easy that makes it when the fairies come in in a different rhythm than the normal iambic pentameter.

OK, that's Act II- you know what we're ready for after all that talk of eating hearts away? THE MECHANICALS!

(Dancing as Peaseblossom in an adaptation of Midsummer on the Blackfriars stage. Photo credit: Tony Tambasco)