Shakespearean play to premiere tonight

In any production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” it is uncommon to see characters running around stage in hot pink underwear.

It is not typical to have dance numbers or have the king and queen portrayed as musical  movie stars.

However, Director Gavin Cameron-Webb’s version of the play will feature just a little more Hollywood magic and a hint of 1930s sparkle.

While not taking away Shakespearean charm, the play adds “magic of a different kind,” said Evelyn Gaynor, an acting student who plays Titania in the play.

“(The production) adds another element,” Gaynor said. “I think that it’s really fun. I’m enjoying embodying a movie star.”

The production of “Midsummer” is a movie musical within a play.

In the original Shakespearean plot, four lovers run away to a land of fairies and are sorely surprised by the mischievous antics of the mystical creatures. Spells and potions distort the lovers’ realities and make things both comical and strange.

In Cameron-Webb’s adaptation, the lovers don’t simply run into a jungle but onto the set of the movie musical “Tarzan.”

“Audiences should expect a different kind of Shakespeare, and yet, the same story,” Director of Audience Development John Kinzer said. “You can see how the story can take place in this environment.”

“It’s just giving it a time period,” said Haley Conger, crew member of the production. “For some of the characters, it gives them more flavor and depth than if it had been set in a different time period.”

Conger said the majority of the differences in this newer interpretation are in the cast costumes and set. Yet, the language of the show is the same as the original script.

Lee Cromwell, assistant director of the play, said modernization of the show should help audiences connect with the Shakespearean play.

“The concept allows the dialogue to have a meaning that is easier to understand the relationships, such as the relationship between Titania and Oberon, and the language,” Cromwell said.

“After seeing it, (audiences) will come away with a better understanding of the play,” Kinzer said. “There’s an educational value in it.”

Ticket information

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at indiana.edu/~thtr or at the IU Auditorium box office. Prices range from $15 to $25.