Hermann Park in early August is an ideal stand-in for Fairyland, the lush setting of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The actors of the Houston Shakespeare Festival will provide the regal fairies, confused Athenians and rude mechanicals that embody the beloved play’s roller-coaster romances. Now in its 36th season, the festival serves up free shows each summer; through the first week of August, it will alternate A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Much Ado about Nothing, the tale of two relationships nearly undone by vicious gossip. Everything turns out all right for the couples in both plays – it’s summertime, after all, hardly a time for tragedy. But rest assured that the comedies’ scheming villains, salacious rumors and lustful encounters will keep the audience appropriately hot and bothered for a summer’s eve. A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens today at 8:30 p.m. Miller Outdoor Theatre, 100 Concert Drive, Hermann Park. For a full schedule, call 713-743-3003 or visit www.houstonfestivalscompany.com. Free.
Fri., July 30, 2010
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.