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Article: A Midsummer Night's Dream. (Public Theater, New York City)
- Article from:
- The Nation
- Article date:
- February 6, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 The Nation Company L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Public Theater's projected six-year Shakespeare marathon got off to a good start with A Midsummer Night's Dream. Not an epochal performance, but sturdy and serviceable, with just enough of a design overlay (Brazil: its pretty jungles, bright clothes, catchy tunes and ole black magic) to show that someone had an idea, but not so intrusive an idea that Shakespeare's meaning was wrenched out of shape. The farce is not overdone, though F. Murray Abraham does his utmost, as Bottom, to convince us that this is his play. So it might be, were it not for the countervailing lyric forces of the faerie realm, which benefits greatly by being ...