Foremost among the ‘Bard’s’ outstanding qualities are the timelessness and profundity of so many of his poetic lines. He is extraordinarily quotable because of his deep meaning and everlasting relevance to human and social experience which cause audiences to be able to relate to the lines even in contemporary times.
The Theatre Guild’s second production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in two years directed by Malcolm DeFreitas at the Playhouse in Kingston allowed reflection on those qualities and the meaning of Shakespearean comedy. A staging of the play is useful because it is a set text for CXC English B exams; it is a welcome return to classical types and to Shakespeare on the local stage, and illustrated well what the dramatic type called comedy is.
On the other hand, the unfamiliarity with this type of theatre, the rustiness and the inexperience were still in evidence. And even while the less informed question the relevance of this brand of drama today, audiences were obviously entertained and instructed despite an
