CELEBRATING THE SEASON WITH MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

When the blowhard Bottom gets his puckishly unjust desserts, we don't think - amazing! We say, "Ahhhh!" Which is what we can say of the... NorthEast Shakespeare Ensemble's A Midsummer Night's Dream... Under John Goodlin's direction, the production satisfies and often delights us. Its comedy rings nearly every bell in this fairy garden. James Sears plays a Puck both lively and powerful, no skinny sprite but a portly goblin courtier. He has Puck's manic magic - and that, Puck being to this Dream what Shylock is to Venice, means the show is a success. Second only in importance to Puck is the cast's Bottom, and Jeff Berry is a near-perfect ass...in his hilarious performance. The rest of the cast must share equal honors, since all its silly tradesmen and out-of-synch lovers worked at the same pitch...[with] energetic physical comedy [and] all did well by the Bard's most intricate metaphors and jewel-faceted jokes. As for production values ... the silvery set was dreamy [and] mortals were sumptuously and sexily costumed. [NESE's production of Dream] is a midsummer pleasure, a quick, bright thing. Enjoy.
---William Craig, Valley News,  June 24, 2006
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A THEATER PRODUCTION TO SAVOR

This play stages four events at once: the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons; a lovers' quarrel featuring two Athenian couples riven by jealousy and confusion but happily paired off at the end; a tug of war between a married couple (the king and queen of the fairies) over who gets custody of a little boy; and a would be "tragedy" hilariously performed for the duke and his court by a company of ordinary workmen struggling to impersonate not just a pair of doomed lovers but also a stone wall, a ray of moonlight, and a roaring lion who - lest he frighten the ladies - promises to coo like a dove. It took Shakespeare's genius to weave all these characters and episodes into a single play, and thanks to the NorthEast Shakespeare Ensemble, you can see it done this week by a remarkably talented cast of professional actors. Standouts include Jeff Berry, whose character exudes equal parts bluster and homely charm; Heather Murdock, whose Hermia explodes with feistiness; Nurit Monacelli, whose Helena radiates the tremulous anguish of frustrated desire; and James Sears, whose Puck projects an irrepressibly mischievous vitality. In short, this production is definitely something to see. Don't miss it.
---James Heffernan, Hanover, NH; June 30, 2006; Forum: Valley News
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AN APPRECIATION FOR SHAKESPEARE

This spring, NESE conducted a series of in-school workshops in six area elementary and secondary schools. NESE also distributed 669 free tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream to the students who participated in the workshops, and an additional 300 free tickets to 10 other schools in both states that teach Shakespeare or theatre programs. [In addition,] NESE gave 1,458 free tickets to young readers in statewide reading programs at 23 Vermont and 28 New Hampshire libraries. In 2007, NESE plans to conduct workshops in 12 schools and continue the distribution of free tickets to other schools and to 50 libraries in Vermont and New Hampshire. NESE looks forward to pursuing and expanding its educational outreach to area youngsters and to making Shakespeare and the classics a respected and valued addition to the rich cultural life of our community each summer.
---Morris Edwards, NESE Board member, New London, NH; July 24, 2006, Forum:Valley News
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