The Shakespearian classic “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a comedic play about the power of magic in roles of love and the danger of relationships.

The story revolves around three different groups: the “lovers,” the “mechanicals,” and the “fairies.” The “lovers” are the main focus of the play. It’s a standard love story, there is forbidden love between two characters, Lysander and Hermia. Demetrius is arranged to be married to Hermia. The final lover, Helena , is in love with Demetrius.

Puck, a fairy, casts a spell on these lovers to make them fall in love with each other. However, this is essentially a trick because the wrong people fall in love with each other. The other fairies try to correct this mistake throughout the play and it ultimately gets resolved.

The “mechanicals” are putting on a play for the arranged marriage and they feel Puck’s wrath when their main actor gets turned into a donkey.

In the end, everything works out. The “lovers” fall in love with the right people, the “fairies” make everything right, and the “mechanicals” go on with their show. It’s a charming story and the actors did a fantastic job of portraying an amazing play.

Yet again, the New Trier Fine Arts cast and crew put 100% into their work and gave the crowd nothing short of a professional show.

The play was originally set in the mid 1590s, but New Trier put a Harlem Renaissance 1920’s twist to it, which added a unique flair to the play and appealed to a wider audience.

The performances took place in the amphitheater located outside of the school building in an attempt to achieve the feel of original Shakespearian plays, which were performed at the Globe theater.

Despite the difficult Shakespearean language, cast did an excellent job, not only mastering their lines, but also capturing the feeling behind them. It was clear that, despite performing a story written centuries before today’s time, each character didn’t simply memorize lines, but understood what they meant.

Even the cold weather couldn’t put a damper on the performance. Although it was only 53º outside, the show quickly distracted the audience from the chill.

The entire ambience of the show was magical, as it should be. The makeup, the wardrobe, the setting and art made me feel as if I was truly watching the works of the mystical fairies characterized in the play.

As I watched the performance, I came to the realization that the New Trier Fine Arts crew not only paid attention to the main components of the show but they perfected every detail.

One of my favorite parts of the show was when the magical fairies were introduced. In this scene, and every other one, the crew made it extremely easy for the audience to understanding the setting of the story.

Until this show, I have never seen a New Trier produced performance. Frankly, I walked into the amphitheater with my expectations low. I hadn’t expected to fall in love with the art of Shakespeare and the cast who so proudly and confidently depicted the storyline.