Review by Savannah Brooks
Even with two productions of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream under my belt as I entered Greenhouse Theater for Otherworld Theatre’s A Midsummer Night Scream, I was not quite prepared for what was waiting for me in these particular woods. I probably would have been more prepared had I spent more time on 80s slasher movies rather than the Bard.
A Midsummer Night Scream, written and directed by Tiffany Keane Schaefer, is an extremely loose adaptation of the Dream. A few characters’ names reference the original; Dimitri (Luke McGreevy) is a play on Demetrius, and Mia (Samantha Buckley) is a play on Hermia. Perhaps Sam (Hayden Lane-Davis) is a play on Lysander? Not sure. Xander (Connor O. Locklin) does not seem related at all. These four are mismatched lovers, just as in the Dream, although in a much different and more modern sense. Sam and Dimitri pine after each other in a time where they have to hide their identities, Dimitri and Mia are engaged to be married, and Mia and Xander are complicated, to put it simply. On this bachelor party in the woods, these lovers are joined by their classmate Nick Bottom (Drew Slager), inexplicably named just the same as the clown in the original, with no real reason as to why. As a pure adaptation, this would be just fine, but Scream is more of a sequel to the Dream, with characters plucked from the original—Titania (Riley Starr McLean), Puck (Jack Antonio), and Oberon (Marvo Oldham)—commenting frequently on the past events that occurred in Shakespeare’s play (I do actually recommend reading a synopsis of the Dream beforehand if you are not familiar, as these events are referenced but not always explained). Titania, though, seems to be completely unable to connect this Bottom with the Bottom of mythic Athens, even though this Bottom also has an unfortunate metamorphosis and finds himself with new animalistic features.
The story follows the four lovers and Nick at the doomed-from-the-start bachelor party as they confront one another’s secrets and, after a little help from Puck, summon the fairies as the play devolves into a more intense horror that involves possession, blood, and lots of slow staggering that is meant to be frightening but mostly just reads as drunken. Speaking of slow: I would be remiss if I did not mention to my readers that, despite the available information online about the play’s runtime stating that the show will run one hour and 45 minutes with an intermission, and the pre-recorded announcement at opening night stating that the show would run two hours and 30 minutes, curtain call did in fact end only three minutes shy of a stupefying three hour runtime at my performance; longer, indeed, than the vast majority of productions of the Dream itself, which is somewhat known for being on the shorter end of Shakespeare’s works. So, I suppose this performance was a lesson to me to trust no one, especially not forest spirits like Oberon and Titania (and those that they alter or possess) that speak and move at a glacial pace.
Timing aside, Scream is most enjoyable if viewed as good, campy fun. Many of the jokes are quite funny, especially when delivered by the very comedically capable Slager and Antonio. Slager’s awkward and boyish Nick is disarmingly charming, and he is heroically committed to the horror of his metamorphosis. Antonio’s pink-blazer-donning radio host version of Puck is often a welcome interruption from the drama of the forest. The characters at large lack the depth to be taken all that seriously; in fact, the mortals fit precisely into the pre-determined archetypal boxes of 80s movies. Sam is the weird loner, Dimitri the rich jock, Xander the alternative musician, Nick the annoying nerd, and Mia… well, Mia is the girl. While the interruptions of the intense and cruel forest spirits attempt to bring the play to a darker tone, they are held back from truly ever accomplishing this by the shallow nature of the humans as well as some technical limitations. The production does not boast much in the way of stage magic, although the set (also by Schaefer) is beautiful, as are the faerie costumes (by Patty Halajian). Perhaps what is most distracting is that there is seemingly an inability to have a true blackout in this particular space, so when the play inevitably gets to the deaths that come with any horror worth its salt (after a frustratingly long time), it is hard not to laugh out loud when the lights go down and the actors can be fully seen standing, rushing to grab their props, and hurrying off stage as if we won’t be able to see them if they go quickly.
A Midsummer Night Scream is ultimately limited by its desire to be horror, comedy, tragic romance, and Shakespeare sequel all in one. Despite a full three hour run time, the plot is not always clear and the characters are not fully developed — much of their dialogue is devoted to empty platitudes or sudden metaphors that serve more of a purpose for literary beautification than any insight into their desires or pasts. But, for fans of slasher and Shakespeare, it probably has enough nostalgia, references, and blood to satiate your spooky spirit this Halloween season.
A Midsummer Night Scream is now playing at Greenhouse Theater Center, at 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614, until November 1, 2026. Performance times vary; check the website at Otherworld Theatre. Find more information about current plays on our Current Shows page and at theatreinchicago.com.