Fools in Love Wings Theater Saturdays @ 1PM through May 14 th Written by Jeremy Schreiner

I went to see Fools in Love because I had a crush on Peach Bloom. If I had known what I was in for (or, incidentally, that Peach Bloom wouldn’t call me back), I probably wouldn’t have gone in the first place. Fools in Love is Millennium Talent Group’s adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. As it turns out, MTG specializes in getting kids interested in Shakespeare. Now, don’t get me wrong; I like kids as much as the next guy, but seeing as I work with 400 rowdy kids during the week, the last thing I want to see on my Friday night is another screaming little brat. But when I walk into Wings Theatre on Christopher Street, it’s utter bedlam. Kids running around screaming, getting tattoos applied by members of the cast dressed as fairies. Cute, I guess. As I’m waiting for my ticket, some little turd grabs me by the arm and says, “Look at me! I’m Dark Vader.” I put on my nastiest sneer. “No, you’re not. It’s Darth Vader and you look nothing like him. Now get your dirty paws off me. They’re infested with germs since you probably haven’t washed them in months. Go annoy someone else.” I grab my ticket and grumble my way to my seat.

The play takes place in West Athens, CA in the 1950’s and it opens on a diner scene with some damn catchy acapella Doo Wop. Apparently Billie Shakes was a pretty big Doo Wop fan as they performed heaps of it throughout the night. Apparently, I’m a pretty big fan as well, as I couldn’t stop smiling and humming along to such classics as Mr. Sandman, Big Girls Don't Cry, and Earth Angel. Despite myself, I was cheering up.

The rest of the play was just as infectious. We all know the story and MTG didn’t tamper with the dialogue so I don’t need to go into any plot details, which as a reporter is pretty tedious fluff anyway. True to form, it was goofy as hell. And the MTG actors hit this to a tee. So well in fact, that sometimes it was hard to tell whether all the pranks and tripping and falling were scripted. Once, while running offstage, Demetrius tripped on a chair and smashed his face on the ground. I couldn’t tell whether to laugh or see if he was okay, but the little kid next to me was laughing so I decided to laugh too.

What set Fools in Love apart from other Midsummer Night's Dreams was the creativity used in the adaptation. For instance, Oberon, the King of the Sprites, was a Hollywood wanna-be Elvis. Another character, Tom Snout, was a genuine New Jersey tough-guy—white T-shirt, slicked-back hair, and all. Have you ever heard a New Jersey tough-guy talk in Shakespearian English? Incredible! And the kids loved every second of it. They were a part of the play; they were on stage, running around, bumping into each other, having a blast. They probably couldn’t understand the half of what was going on but hey!, they’re kids—they don’t make sense anyway.

Sure, it was a creative adaptation. Sure, Shakespeare was a pretty talented chap, blah, blah, blah. To be honest, though, what made this play was this group of actors. Most notably, Puck (Brandy Wykes) and Nick Bottom (Ryan Knowles) were fabulous. Ryan Knowles should be famous. He reminded me of a way-less-annoying Jim Carrey. But the entire cast was great. They couldn’t have found two more perfect goofballs to play Demetrius (Anthony Raymond) and Lysander (Matt Schuneman). Where do you find these guys, MTG? No one even seemed to care (in fact, they relished in it) that half of the audience was a fifth their age.

By the end, even I didn’t care. I had the kid next to me in a headlock, playfully giving him a noogie. Some little girl had a hold on my tightie-whities, giving me a wedgie. I got a temporary tattoo, stuck a lollipop in my mouth, and stepped outside—feeling six years-old again.

For more information: http://www.millenniumtalentgroup.org/fools-in-love/index.html