Feeling Hip On A Midsummer’s Night With Richard III

In William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” four young lovers escape the tyranny of the court to find love in a magical forest. The Bard’s “Richard III” sets a different tone and takes place after a long civil war when England is enjoying a period of peace under King Edward. But Edward’s younger brother Richard, who helped him to the throne, grows restless in the shadows. Shakespeare’s searing drama chronicles the bloody rise and fall of the last English king to die on the battlefield.

Audiences will have a chance to enjoy both the romantic comedic romp, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the historic tragedy “Richard III” under the stars August 23 and 24, at Agawam Park in Southampton. The two productions will be performed by Hip to Hip Theatre Company in rotating repertory under direction of S.C. Lucier (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”) and David Frederick Mold (“Richard III).

“If you’re going to produce something as dark and bloody as Richard III, you need something as light and fluffy as A Midsummer Night’s Dream to balance the season,” explained Hip to Hip’s artistic director Jason Marr in discussing this season’s play selection.“Both as a producer and as an actor, ‘Richard III’ has hovered near the top of my ‘yet-to-do list’ for years. It’s never made the cut, because on some level, the play doesn’t quite sing for me. After 13 years with Hip to Hip, and with my ‘yet-to-do list’ getting shorter and shorter, it seemed time to take another look at ‘Richard III.’”

He went on to say, “I came across the fascinating documentary, ‘The King in the Car Park,’ which tracks the exhumation and reburial of the remains of Richard III, which culminated in 2012. With the discovery of Richard III’s remains, we now know that Shakespeare’s portrait of Richard’s deformity is grossly exaggerated. The exhumed skeleton reveals Richard had severe scoliosis, but it bears no suggestion that he was a hunchback with a withered arm and unequally sized legs.

Hip to Hip’s new radical adaptation of Richard III attempts to bridge the divide between the real man and the caricature the Tudors, aided and abetted by Shakespeare, perpetuated,” he added.

The repertory cast for both productions includes Leah Alfieri, Kendall Devin Bell, Katie Fanning*, Rebecca Wei Hsieh, Kurt Kingsley, Tristan Land, Axel Marr, Bree Marr, Jason Marr, Joy Marr, Josh Miccio, Austin Nguyen, Anuj Parikh, Sophia Parola, Patrick Singer and Colin Wulff.

Hip to Hip’s interactive children’s workshop “Kids & the Classics,” featuring young actors ages 4 to 12, will be offered 30 minutes before each performance. Audience members are encouraged to bring a blanket or low chair, picnic fare and enjoy a Shakespeare play in the open air. No tickets are necessary.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be performed Friday, August 23, at 7:30 p.m., followed by “Richard III” on Saturday, August 24, at 7:30 p.m. Raindate is Sunday, August 25, at 5 p.m. Now in its 13th year, Hip to Hip Theatre Company is dedicated to stimulating and developing interest in the theatre arts in underserved communities by providing free, family-friendly, professional productions of popular classics, and free theatre workshops for children, in public spaces. For more information, visit hiptohip.org.