Enchanted hijinks with the Parkside Players

by Mark Lord

Certainly not all the folks over at The Parkside Players in Forest Hills, where one of the Bard’s most popular comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” is being performed weekends through Dec. 3.

The action — and there’s a lot of it — takes place largely in an enchanted forest which is inhabited by a band of fairies, who are adept at manipulating humans.

Several plots intersect, all connected by the upcoming royal wedding of the Duke, Theseus of Athens, and his intended, Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.

One of those story lines involves Oberon, king of the fairies, and his queen, Titania, who, at the out- set, are estranged.

Another focuses on four young lovers who spend much time in pursuit of each other.

Yet another follows a group of amateur actors as they prepare to present a play, based on the story of tragic lovers Pyramus and Thisbe, as part of the wedding entertainment.

The play (seen at its final dress rehearsal via Vimeo) lives somewhere between reality and illusion. Throw in a love potion that can make anyone fall for the first person he or she sees, a character who can make himself invisible (in this production by donning a pair of dark sunglasses, one of the many fun touches by director William Frenzel), and another who turns into a donkey (don’t ask!) and you’ve got the trappings for a delightful romp.

The evening (or matinee) gets off to a rollicking start with a mimed prologue set to music that calls to mind movies of the silent era.

Shortly thereafter, the scenery, cleverly designed by John O’Hare, unfolds. It will soon begin to spin, too, in step with music, with assistance from the cast. The costumes (no credit offered) add to the merriment.

But it is the talented actors that Frenzel has assembled, who seem to be having a great time bringing Shakespeare’s words to life, who are the rightful stars of the production. They are a modern, attractive bunch. To Frenzel’s credit, they continued on page 21