STAGE: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (TV)
Summary
One in this anthology series. This program features the New York Shakespeare Festival's "Midsummer's Nights Dream," which was performed in Central Park. In Act I, a young woman named Hermia learns that she must marry Demetrius, the man her father has chosen for her. But Hermia is deeply in love with a young man named Lysander, who suggests that they run away together. Hermia and Lysander agree to meet in the forest the next evening, and they tell their friend Helena of their plans. But Helena, who pines for the love of Demetrius, decides to thwart the scheme by telling Demetrius of the two lovers' plans. Meanwhile, a group of theatrical performers are preparing a play, which they will present at the wedding of the Duke of Athens. Once the actors receive their parts, they agree to meet in the forest the following evening to rehearse. Later, Oberon, the king of the fairies, quarrels with his mistress, Titania, over the possession of a child. He decides to punish Titania by dropping the juice from a magic flower in her eyes while she is asleep. This liquid will cause her to fall in love with the first creature she sees when she awakens. Later, in the forest Oberon spies Helena following Demetrius, and Oberon feels sorry for her since she is being callously rejected by the man she loves. As Act I concludes, Oberon asks his servant Puck to drop some of the juice into Demetrius's eyes so that when he awakens he will fall madly in love with Helena.
In Act II, Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and drops the juice from the flower into his eyes. When Lysander awakens, he falls madly in love with the first woman he sees -- Helena. Believing Lysander's words of love are meant to mock her, Helena runs off. Lysander follows her, abandoning Hermia in the forest. Meanwhile, the actors meet in the forest, and during the rehearsal, Puck turns their lead actor, Bottom, into an ass. The frightened performers run away, leaving Bottom to wander through the forest; Titania awakens and immediately falls in love with the ass. Also includes commentary from host David Birney, who displays photos of famous actors who have performed in productions in Central Park, and recalls some anecdotes from his performance in "Comedy of Errors" in Central Park.
In Act III, Oberon is pleased to learn that Titania is in love with an ass, but is unhappy to see that Puck has mistakenly caused Lysander to fall in love with Helena. Oberon quickly uses the nectar from the flower to cause Demetrius to do the same. Now, Helena begins to think that both men are mocking her as they throw themselves at her feet, and Hermia is shocked upon arriving at the scene. Although Hermia has nothing to do with the situation, Helena is certain that she is in cahoots with the two men. Soon the two women begin to attack one another. After a while, Oberon decides that Puck should remedy the confusion by giving Lysander the anecdote to cure him of his enamored state. Then, Oberon takes the child from Titania and cures her of her love for the ass. In the morning, the events seem as a dream to the mortals. Bottom returns to his natural state and the two sets of lovers venture to Athens to be married alongside the Duke of Athens and his bride. After the wedding ceremony, the three couples watch the players perform their tragic and comic play. Finally, Puck steps forward and speaks to the audience members about the scenes they have just witnessed. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: A&E
- DATE: May 24, 1983 Tuesday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:34:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T85:0611
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: A&E - TV, 1983
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Stage":
- Lou Volpicelli … Producer, Director
- Glenn Berenbeim … Associate Producer, Writer
- Christine Clark … Associate Producer
- Patricia Dann … Researcher
- David Birney … Host
- For "A Midsummer Night's Dream":
- Joseph Papp … Producer
- Jason Steven Cohen … Associate Producer
- James Lapine … Director, For the stage
- Emile Ardolino … Director
- William Shakespeare … Writer
- Allen Shawn … Music by
- Graciela Daniele … Choreographer
- Diane Venora … Cast, Hippolyta
- James Hurdle … Cast, Theseus
- Ricky Jay … Cast, Philostrate
- Ralph Drischell … Cast, Egeus
- Deborah Rush … Cast, Hermia
- Rick Lieberman … Cast, Demetrius
- Kevin Conroy … Cast, Lysander
- Christine Baranski … Cast, Helena
- Steve Vinovich … Cast, Quince
- Jeffrey DeMunn … Cast, Bottom
- Paul Bates … Cast, Flute
- J. Patrick O'Brien … Cast, Starveling
- Andreas Katsulas … Cast, Snout
- Peter Crook … Cast, Snug
- Tessa Capodice … Cast, a Fairy
- Tim Flavin … Cast, a Fairy
- Leah Carla Gordone … Cast, a Fairy
- Roshi Handwerger … Cast, a Fairy
- Paul Kreshka … Cast, a Fairy
- Emmanuel Lewis … Cast, a Fairy
- Cheryl McFadden … Cast, a Fairy
- Nicky Paraiso … Cast, a Fairy
- Tina Paul … Cast, a Fairy
- Angela Pietropinto … Cast, a Fairy
- Rosemary Richert … Cast, a Fairy
- Marcell Rosenblatt … Cast, Puck
- William Hurt … Cast, Oberon
- Michele Shay … Cast, Titania
- Caroline McGee … Cast, an Attendant
- David Logan-Morrow … Cast, an Attendant
- Marcie Shaw … Cast, an Attendant
- Katherine Mueller … Instrumentalist
- Deborah Gilwood … Instrumentalist
- William Uttley … Instrumentalist
- John Gustafson … Instrumentalist
- Michael A. Ellert … Instrumentalist
- Paul Friedman … Instrumentalist
- Mary Rowell … Instrumentalist
- Stephen Ametrano … Instrumentalist
- Matthew Zory … Instrumentalist
- Marcie Shaw … Instrumentalist