[Photos] [Description] [Reviews]
Scenic Designers:
Bob Croghan, Gart Dartt, Steve Umberger
Costume Designers:
Bob Croghan, April Soroko
Lighting Designers:
David Castaneda, Eric Winkenwerder, Todd Wren
Choreographer: Ron Chisholm
Composer/Sound Designer: Fred Story
Director: Steve Umberger
Click here for bios
Karl Baumann Bio
Contact
The Dream
"MAGIC: 'Dream' enchants with laughter"
Review excerpts from developmental productions.
"The
question isn't whether to see ``A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM'' -
it's whether to see it once, twice, or every time it's
performed. It is a magical production that manages to be both
amazingly fresh and true to tradition. ... Director Steve
Umberger pulls out all the stops for his first NCSF show and
has developed a (literally) soaring event. Fast-paced
and extremely accessible, "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" nonetheless takes the time to bask in the lyrical
dialogue and revel in the magical moments. For every big
rope trick and huge visual gag, there's an effective moment of
simplicity, such as watching the fairies control the humans
with a sweep of a hand. This production is perfect
ammunition to change the minds of people who think Shakespeare
is only for fuddy-duddies, that the language is too hard to
understand, or that the stagings are always dull. In
every blissful way, its a dream come true."
- Leslie
Mizell, High Point News & Record
"Our
nightly fall to sleep begins with the gentle order of thought
but soon gives way to the chaotic confusion of dreaming.
So does this production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.
From early scenes of dignity and calm, it rapidly, and
literally tumbles into an enchanting journey through the night
... Indeed it really is the actors that move this tale
along. And I mean move. From the impish fairies to
the misguided lovers, all inhabitants of Athens' wood are
played with supercharged physicality ... Most outstanding is
Puck, who swings, hops, twists and flips himself in and out of
trouble as he seemingly frolics through the treetops of the
magical forest ... Even though this production is powerfully
muscular, Shapespeare's voice is not neglected. The
seamless cuts in the text keep the pace while honoring the
Bard's poetry ... Lucky for you, this dream last longer than
one evening.
- Leah
Elyce Roy, High Point Enterprize
"With a dream-like vision that can truly be heralded as such,
Umberger has crafted A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM that dances in your head, filling it with magic and yuks alike. The play takes
on new brilliance thanks to lucious visual elements and Karl Baumann's stylishly impish Puck. As Baumann flits around on one
arm and swings from a dangling center-stage rope, contorting himself into near-unfathomable positions, he unleashes amorous
havoc in the Bard's comedic romp. It is among the most magical
two hours you'll have short of a slumbering pre-REM state."
- Allison West, Charlotte Theatre Magazine
"Among all the versions I've seen of
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM,
the brilliant direction and design of this one make it my new favorite. In Steve Umberger's vision (oh, joy, a director with
an actual, palpable vision!) falling in love means you're out of
your mind. This rough magic is the right-size preface to leaving
the theater and finding your own enchanted wood silvered with moon Iight."
- Joann Grose, Charlotte Observer
"Steve Umberger is experimenting with an intriguing new production
concept in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. He has radically reimagined Puck, brought thrillingly to life by Cirque du Soleil
spellbinder Karl Baumann. Each of his entrances and exits is a
fresh wonder of acrobatic surprise And Umberger has the young
lovers in a fiercely funny slapstick mode during their many scrapes and quarrels."
- Perry Tannenbaum, Creative Loafing
"This production, which benefits
from director Steve Umberger's fluid and traditionalist staging,
gains momentum in a hurry and ultimately tickles the collective
funny bone like few others. Among the unquestioned assets
in the show is Puck (Karl Baumann). Here's a guy who won't
keep still. He jumps fearlessly off a railing to grasp a
rope on which he flies through the air with the greatest of
ease. Often when he delivers a line, he accompanies it with
an assortment of gymnastic flips. He leaps into other's arms
with feathery lightness or else performs summersaults off others'
backs. His dancing and gestures reveal perfect comedic
timing. The production's ensemble numbers
are particularly memorable. The movements flow effortlessly,
despite their intricate, physical nature."
- Ken Keuffel,
Winston-Salem Journal
