In Patapsco High School’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the cast followed the wise advice to take pains and be perfect. By the time it ended, and they all said goodbye, the audience was on the edge of their seats, wanting more.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare that revolves around four lovers. Hermia wishes to marry her true love, Lysander, but her mother desires that she marry Demetrius. While Demetrius is fawning over Hermia, Helena is moonstruck over him. The king of fairies, Oberon, plans to fix their struggles after discovering their tragic love. However, Oberon has troubles of his own with his wife, Titania, and he quickly entraps everyone in a web of confusion.

Despite the difficulty of Shakespearean language, the actors and actresses were able to narrate the story with their actions. The leads offered an in-depth view of their characters, and even those with the smallest of roles added to the plot with their active expressions. Still, the humor was not lost; few moments occurred when cheerful laughter couldn’t be heard.

Attracting everyone’s attention was Amanda Halcott, portraying Helena. When she first came on, she perfectly displayed Helena’s vexatious personality. As time passed, Amanda managed to gracefully develop her character into a girl in a strenuous position. Brent Silvestri (Demetrius) and Gino Cardoni (Lysander) also exhibited character growth. These three, along with Michelle Payton (Hermia), flawlessly kept onlookers entranced with their intimate interactions.

Along with the main four, there were many others who captured the eyes of the audience. Thaddeus Ervin (Bottom) showed perfect timing with his hysterical lines. Although Bottom was already a riotous character on his own, Thaddeus managed to take full advantage of the character and somehow make him funnier. Sam Moore, as Flute, also took the role of a hilarious character. When the rude mechanics put on “Pyramus and Thisbe,” Sam exquisitely brought laughter to everyone watching. Brittany Runk, who portrayed Starveling, impressed the audience by stepping in as an understudy and delivering her lines well.

One astonishing feature to the play was the lighting. Throughout the entire play, the lights seamlessly shifted between bright and cheery to dark and melodramatic, fitting the mood of the scene. Another terrific aspect was the make-up. Strikingly bold colours were used for make-up on the fairies, and even a light application of brown blotches on Brent and Amanda added to the impression that they had been running through the woods.

Extremely enjoyable, Patapsco High School’s presentation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is something that no one should miss. It is entirely enrapturing with its boldness and hilarity.

by Helen O’Neill of Notre Dame Prep