INTERVIEW: Welcome to a scrumptious ‘Midsummer’
Photo: Clockwise from left, Charles Osborne, Joshua Gonzales, Adrienne Paquin, Caroline Amos and Alex J. Gould star in Midsummer: A Banquet. Photo courtesy of Chad Batka / Provided by Matt Ross PR with permission.
Perfectly timed with the dog days of summer, Midsummer: A Banquet has been giving audience members in New York City a scrumptious treat courtesy of William Shakespeare.
This adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by Food of Love and Third Rail Projects, is a madcap romantic journey, featuring jokes that still hold up hundreds of years after they were first penned.
What makes this Midsummer unique from other productions is the multi-course tasting menu that audience members enjoy while the actors perform the love story in front of them. Fresh crudités are paired with wine selections, and roasted veggie skewers have a touch of applewood smoke. As Titania and Oberon are fighting over their plans for the four young lovers at the center of the play, visitors enjoy some harvest grains and local spices. Everything is topped off with forest fruits and a sparkling wine toast fit for a wedding.
Zach Morris and Victoria Rae Sook took care of the adaptation, and Morris also directs/choreographs the evening. The show runs through Sept. 7 at Café Fae in Manhattan.
Adrienne Paquin stars as three characters in the production: Helena, Quince and a Faerie. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the actor about her three roles. Questions and answers are slightly edited for style.
What’s it like to perform as three characters in this classic Shakespeare play?
It is certainly not boring! It can be a bit tight with quick changes at the beginning and end of the play, but I generally enjoy it because I get to flex different muscles for different characters all in the same show. Helena is the closest to my own self. Quince is pure clown fun, and the faeries are almost an exercise in moving meditation.
How different is this Midsummer from other interpretations of the show?
The double (and triple) casting certainly must keep things interesting for the audience — ‘Oh she’s back again, but who is she now?’ I also appreciate that Zach and Victoria leaned into a feminist perspective in their adaptation and definitely in our interpretation.
As written, Helena ‘gets her man’ in the form of a spelled Demetrius and has barely any lines to react to the action of the play. I appreciated that Zach was on board with allowing Helena not to have a happy ending, instead having her note the strangeness of old love who has suddenly come back to her. I generally prefer my theatrical endings to not be tied up with a bow, but instead leave some question or thought for the audience to ponder.
What was the rehearsal process like?
Very physical, which I loved! I come from a physical theatre background, so it felt like coming home. It is also rare to get to work in such a physical way, unless you are in a musical dancing. We generated a lot of material amongst ourselves, and then Zach would come and help us weed through moments we wanted to keep. It was lovely for me to include music in the process as well, as I love to sing and have greatly improved my minimal guitar playing through this show. We were really able to play and find out what the play would be for this group of actors at this moment, and that was a pure joy.
Is there an extra level of nerves having the audience so close and eating in front of you?
I am one of those actors who loves looking at the audience and making direct eye contact with them, so no extra nerves for me. I love sitting right down with people and speaking lines directly to them. The audience can bring such wonderful energy, even if there is the risk that they may not react how you anticipate. As for eating, it doesn’t bother me at all, except there is the added level of awareness to make sure I am serving my tables in character while acting.
When did you first fall in love with acting?
I fell in love with performing first at a young age, performing folk songs with my grandmother and father in festivals. I was never shy to sing a song, always comfortable on stage and loved performing for an audience. Love of the craft of acting came later in college and then in post-grad studies, where I just found I loved the craft of acting, the work of acting. The love of that craft sent me to pursue my MFA at Columbia, where I was able to spend three years on that craft.
Have you always been a fan of the Bard?
As early as middle school, when we performed Twelfth Night, I loved Shakespeare. I probably didn’t quite understand what it was or why, but I loved that it seemed to be a puzzle to figure out. Playing Viola, I took great pride in memorizing my lines and was always upset when my teacher would make cuts to her gorgeous speeches.
That love of the ‘puzzle that was Shakespeare’ grew through undergrad and beyond. I love sitting down with a chunk of text and digging deep into it on both a scholarly level, and then on an actor’s level. To bring Shakespeare’s words to life with clarity and vibrancy is always my number one goal — oh and of course, with wit and humor when it is in the lines, as it often is.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Midsummer: A Banquet plays through Sept. 7 at Café Fae at 827 Broadway in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
