Shakespeare And Lady Gaga Meet On Stage This Weekend At MHS

Novice and seasoned theatergoers in Mahwah will be able to enjoy this week’s production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” according to director Jean Johnson, who said the show has something for everyone.

“I always like doing educational theater,” Johnson said. “And for this year’s play I wanted a true comedy. I knew we had some really talented actors who could pull off these roles really well.” The cast tackled that traditional script and setting, but with some modernized twists.

A quintet of musicians add touches of modern music into the performance to update the classic story. Audience members can expect to hear familiar instrumentals from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Adele songs mixed in with the iambic pentameter.

“I wanted something that would appeal to the teenage kids coming to see the show,” Johnson said.

The actors are also working with an unconventional set – most of which is crafted from an old playground set, complete with a slide and swing hanging from the ceiling.

“I go on [the website] FreeCycle all the time to get things for shows, and there was a woman going out of business who was giving all of this stuff away. We make due with what we have, so we crafted this great set that cost almost nothing,” the director said.

Despite the modern touches, Johnson says the cast and crew stay true to the original storyline of the show. “We started practicing the first day of school, really just to tackle the language. The kids had to learn what everything meant, because they need to understand what they are saying if the audience is ever going to understand it. They’ve been working hard on the language,” she said.

Johnson says the 30-member cast is excited to perform the show for audiences beginning Wednesday with a free show for senior citizens at 4 p.m. General admission shows will be held this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The Thursday night performance will feature half-price tickets for students, and $1 of every ticket sold will go to the Mahwah Flood Fund, Johnson said.

On Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., a special performance for younger theater goers will be put on. The script has been shortened, to about an hour, “to make it easier for them to digest,” Johnson said. The show is followed by behind-the-scenes tours and other activities. Girl scouts attending that performance will receive a fun patch.

The fall performance is one of two the drama club puts on every year. This year’s spring musical, slated for March, will be a production of “Cinderella.”