On Jan. 19 and 20, Carlsbad’s Advanced Theater department staged a production of the play “Midsummer/Jersey,” starring seniors Katie Ohlin, Chris Gervais, Madison Lewis and junior Adam Gilmore.
“Midsummer/Jersey” is a play that takes Shakespeare’s classic “Midsummer’s Night Dream” and gives it a modern “Jersey Shore”-esque twist. It follows the twisted love lines of two high school couples as they seek happily ever after, and become entangled in the affairs of the local fairy court.
Set the scene in a typical Jersey beach town, throw in a beauty parlor staff, dance music, love potions and iPhones. All together they create a hilarious mix of current pop culture and Shakespeare’s brilliant plotline.
Despite the light-hearted nature of the play, putting on the show was not all fun and games for the Advanced Theater class. Like all of their performances, it required extreme dedication, with long hours of rehearsal and effort.
“Rehearsals were hard but good,” senior Laura Parker said. “We needed the work and practice– it helped us take it more seriously.”
In the end, the students’ work paid off. The upperclassmen pulled off all their roles, major or supporting, with laughter and conviction. The four leads perfectly portrayed the Jersey stereotype; also notable was the interaction between the arguing fairy king and queen, played by junior Evan Ridpath and Parker respectively.
Senior Maya Reddy and junior Josh Collins especially elicited laughter from the audience. Collins showed exemplary enthusiasm as Puck, leaping around the stage and delivering long, animated monologues; likewise, Reddy displayed her superb acting talents with her wholehearted zeal in portraying an overdramatic stylist.
“Maya was extremely funny,” senior Lindy Astl said. “She really went for it, everything she did was great.”
Overall, the actors dedication culminated in an amusing, delightful performance that testified to the talent of the theater department, and skillful direction of Monica Hall. In the future, look to theater’s spring musical “Singin’ in the Rain” and DTASC Shakespeare Festival in May.
