Shakespeare Re-Imagined in Dance, Design, & Whimsy

by Isa S. Chu

We settle into our seats as the sun dips in the west and a breeze rolls in from the Pacific with a hint of chill. Designer Nina Ball’s beautiful fantasy towers cast a magical glow over the outdoor amphitheater—with whimsical curlicues and calla lilies decorating hidden gates and secret doorways.

Crisp white Athenian columns flank elegant Art Nouveau blue staircases. A spin of the set magically transports us to the woods, realm of the fairy King and Queen. A  jazz track floats through the air, both soft and modern.

Director Bridgette Loriaux’s “Midsummer” fuses modern movement and contemporary style into the fairy world. Loriaux’s signature choreography brings intense physicality, delightful wit, and bold re-imaginings. The marvelous, precise actors cast their spells, imagining a better world. Surrounded by laughter, dance, and magic, we remember what it’s like to play.

Charisse Loriaux makes a charismatic Queen of Athens and Queen of Fairies, executing unique dance moves and sharp retorts. As her King of Athens and of Fairyland, Johnny Moreno shines as commanding and seductive–quite the sensual pair!

The heartfelt lovers lost in the woods include forceful Adrian Deane, hypnotic Elena Wright, touching Storm White, and ingenious Ixtlan. This raucous romantic quartet also plays the “Mechanicals,” comic Athenian workers who are rehearsing a ridiculous play in the forest—brilliantly.

As Quince, Richard Pallazio tries to corral the unruly band of amateur actors. But certified “ham” Nick Bottom the Weaver, played by hilarious Steve Price, turns himself into an ass and brings down the house–a unique stage transformation.

As forest sprites, Carla Gallardo and Anika Griggs-Yew tie the royal court and countryside together. As the mischief-maker Puck, Rob Seitelman makes a fierce impression.

Costumes also do their part in delineating these worlds: Athenians move in sleek white, often barefoot or socked for graceful motion. The fairies shimmer in jewel tones and earthy fabrics, evoking bohemian forest spirits. And delightfully disrupting both, comes the acting troupe—in technicolor steampunk chaos, like gear-laden jesters from another universe.  entirely.

Only ten actors bring this whole story to life, slipping seamlessly between identities. They dance their way into scenes, using every inch of the stage like a playground. Modern interpretive dance opens the show with a bold statement: this Dream lives in motion—sometimes Athenian, sometimes sprite, sometimes amateur thespian.

The physicality is stunning. We watch lovers chase each other with joyful desperation, fairies leap and swirl midair, and actors sprint the stage while still nailing Shakespeare’s tongue-twisting lines. A fairy rides a bike onstage, while another lifts their scene partner while reciting verse. It’s a kinetic joyride.

Lysander becomes Lysandra, adding a fresh lens to the love entanglements—it feels organic, offering new resonance to Shakespeare’s themes of mistaken love and shifting desire. Modern tunes and Shakespeare’s Sonnets weave into the dreamscape—not jarringly, but like they’ve always belonged there. The result is a seamless tapestry where Elizabethan poetry meets the pulse of today.

This production invites us to dance in it. To fall in love. To be tricked. To laugh at ourselves. To believe, just for a moment, that maybe—just maybe—some fairies really are messing with our heads.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare; adapted, choreographed, and directed by Bridgette Loriaux; set designed by Nina Ball, lighting by Jon Tracy, sound by Ray Archie, music by David Warner, costumes by Bethany Deal Flores, props by Randy Wong-Westbrooke, at Marin Shakespeare Company, San Rafael, California.

Info: marinshakes.org – to July 13, 2025.

Cast: Adrian Deane, Ixtlan, Carla Gallardo, Charisse Loriaux, Johnny Moreno, Richard Pallaziol, Steve Price, Rob Seitelman, Storm White, and Elena Wright.

Banner photo: THE MECHANICALS: Elena Wright, Steve Price, Ixtlan, Richard Pallaziol, Adrian Deane, Storm White. Photos: Jay Yamada