Leslie Katz, The Examiner
2008-05-10 00:42:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

SAN FRANCISCO -

An extraordinary Indian version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” onstage at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre might just be the most fun you’ll ever have not quite understanding Shakespeare.

That statement may be taken both figuratively and literally; the actors in this Dash Arts production presented by Best of Broadway speak not only English, but Hindi, Bengali, Sinhalese, Marathi and a few other Indian languages in a literal translation of Shakespeare’s comedy.

Yet, under the colorful, funny, musical direction by Tim Supple, the famous story of lovers, fairies and actors comes thrillingly alive.

Theatergoers already familiar with the play — about how the spirit Puck, on orders of fairy king Oberon, causes mayhem among young courtiers Hermia, Demetrius, Helena and Lysander and a troupe of amateur actors jockeying to put on a show for the royalty — will likely get the most out this production. (Extensive inserted program notes offer a complete plot synopsis.)

Those who aren’t up on their Shakespeare and are willing to let go of following every detail will be rewarded with magical sensations and quite a few laughs. The evocative actors and musicians, coupled with a dramatic, drape-filled set and contemporary circus-like theatrics, create an experience that simply transcends language.

The acclaimed production, presented in 2006 by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Avon, England, is deliciously over-the-top.

The fairy sequences don’t feature delicate fluttering, but have bold, fighting movements. The characters often climb the back wall, and when some of them go to sleep, they curl themselves up in swathes of fabric hanging from the ceiling. (Vibrantly colored costumes and sets are by Sumant Jayakrishnan.)

When the delightful Hermia (Yuki Ellias) and Helena (Shanaya Rafaat) get in a catfight over the men, their jousting is as lively as a World Wrestling Entertainment match.

There’s no shortage of sex and sexual innuendo, either. Nick Bottom (Joy Fernandes), the pompous actor who gets turned into an ass, has the most provocative of dreams about fairy queen Titania (Archana Ramaswamy), while the young lovers’ physically express their changing alliances and desires.

P R Jijoy, as fairy king Oberon, speaks very little, if any, English. Still, he’s a dramatic force of nature, his lustrous hair gleaming in the stage light.

He and the rest of the cast serve up a solid reinterpretation of Shakespeare, better than many run-of-the-mill productions that drone on in English across the Bay Area. Here, the Bard gains much in the clever translation.

IF YOU GO

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Where: Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., San Francisco

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; closes June 1

Tickets: $35 to $80

Contact: (415) 512-7770 or www.shnsf.com