“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

In this case, I can’t help but think that the fools are those (myself included) who trek over to Miller Outdoor Theatre each summer for the Houston Shakespeare Festival, braving the heat and the mosquitoes again this year for the opening night performance of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, the first of two of the Bard’s plays being presented in repertory this season.

Fools for Shakespeare, I suppose, and the stellar festival produced by the University of Houston’s School of Theatre & Dance and the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. It wasn’t profuse sweating or the paranoid and periodic slap at exposed skin that audiences really had to contend with this night. No, the unexpected foil of the evening was “technical issues” that forced the performance to pause twice during its opening scene, ultimately leading to an approximately 30-minute delay.

Once the issues were resolved and the show finally got underway, the question left behind was obvious: Would the production be worth it? Would the next two hours be enough to forget the heat, the mosquitoes, and a start time of approximately 8:45 p.m.? By intermission, I was still uncertain of the answer. But when the curtain rose on the second act, the show hit its stride, and when it did, it was glorious.

The story, of course, is just as strong as ever. Somewhere in Athens, Egeus approaches the duke, the soon-to-be-married Theseus, because Egeus’s daughter, Hermia, is spurning his choice of husband for her, Demetrius, in favor of Lysander, a man she loves. Theseus gives Hermia two options: Marry Demetrius or become a nun. Instead, Hermia and Lysander make plans to run away to the forest together. They confess their plans to Hermia’s friend, Helena, who just so happens to be in love with Demetrius and immediately tells him. At the same time, a group of laborers, including weaver Nick Bottom, start work on a play they hope to present at Theseus’s wedding, making plans to rehearse in the forest that night.

Unbeknownst to all the Athenians heading into the forest, things aren’t going well between the king and queen of the forest-dwelling fairies. Annoyed with the queen, Titania, the king, Oberon, decides to punish her and calls for the help of Puck. He asks Puck to retrieve a flower, the juice of which can make someone fall in love with the first person they see. They plan to use the flower on Titania, and, after seeing Helena’s very unrequited feelings for Demetrius, Oberon tells Puck to use the flower on Demetrius, too. Though Puck does manage to get Oberon’s mean-spirited revenge on Titania, tricking her into falling for Bottom – after giving him the head of a donkey – the wires get a little crossed for Demetrius, Hermia, Lysander, and Helena to great comedic effect.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by the Bard in 1595 or 1596, is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved – and oft-produced – comedies. This year’s production, directed by Amelia Fischer, marks the play’s return to the Houston Shakespeare Festival for the first time since 2010, chosen specifically it seems for the festival’s 50th anniversary season.

Fischer’s vision seems most tailored to the fantastical aspects of the play, which leaves the production feeling flatter in the parts of the first act most rooted in boring ole reality. Those moments, however, are a small price to pay once the second act rolls around. Once fully dropped into the magic-induced madness of the forest, the more outrageously fun and physical the show gets. Suddenly, Jon Young’s scenic designs – particularly for the forest, which were almost underwhelming in the first act – serve as the perfect playground, the space becoming cohesive in a way it wasn’t only minutes before. It’s enhanced, too, by more consistent use of cues from lighting designer Clint Allen and sound designer Andrew Lynch.

Jodie Daniels’s costumes for the Athenians suggest a lovely sort of turn-of-the-century time period, but (of course) it’s the design of the fairies that really catch the eye. They are adorned with flowers and foliage, bold and shimmery makeup, and clothing that is either minimal and tight or sweet and flowing with a sheen that suggests rave and a color palette that leans just a touch toward Mardi Gras.

Speaking of fairies, it’s no secret that Puck is the character of this play, and Wesley Whitson owns it. Whitson is an absolute delight as Puck, campy and playful with a scene-stealing physicality at every turn, whether jumping into Oberon’s arms or aggressively pollinating Lysander’s eyes.

Whitson leads the talented cast, continuing with the love quadrangle, of which every corner is strong. Christopher Nicanor holds the audience’s attention as Lysander by staying just on the right side of smarmy before jumping overboard after being magicked, and Olivia Knight perfectly serves desperation, distress, and disbelief as Helena. Jillian Linton’s Hermia and Robby Matlock’s Demetrius don’t really get to play as much until the second act, but once the Athenian interlopers get a bit more disheveled, they all get going and deliver physical comedy gold. Shout out to fight/movement director Jack Young.

Michael Sifuentes is the insufferable Nick Bottom, and he sells himself with the proficiency of a used car salesman. He and the “mechanicals,” as they’re called – played by Sifuentes, Andrew Chavez, Austin Hanna, Avery Kenyatta, Madison Dávila Prentiss, and Jack Stansbury – have great chemistry and provide the show with a perfect goofy ending, which rightly earned appreciative applause.

Alan Brinks is a scheming and jealous Oberon opposite Laura Frye’s self-possessed Titania, and though power couple Hippolyta and Theseus don’t get a lot of stage time, Dinah Ndu manages to project a commanding presence while Kyle Clark uses long vowels to great effect.

Finally, the element most crucial to the enjoyment of Shakespeare is the ability to understand it. Here, we can point to voice and text coach Christina Keefe because the cast displayed a mastery of delivery that is enviable – clear, purposeful, and easy to follow.

So, yeah. This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is bewitching, vibrant and playful, and simply, a great time. And regarding the heat, the mosquitoes, and the delay, much like the dismissed-as-a-dream events of the play – no harm, no foul.

Performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is playing in repertory with Romeo & Juliet, will continue at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, Monday, August 5, Wednesday, August 7, and Friday, August 9, at Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park. For information, call 832-487-7123 or visit milleroutdoortheatre.com. Free.