‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’: Energetic and filled with laughs

"Lord what fools these mortals be" stated Oberon, the King of Fairies, as he observed the chaos caused by his arrival in none other than the illustrious Hollywood. Unionville High School performed Ken Ludwig's "Shakespeare in Hollywood," with the utmost grace and hilarity.

Opening with the movie premiere, Max Reinhardt (played by Joe Siehl) tells the audience how he ended up in Hollywood – a "funny story" as he sarcastically puts it to perky reporter Louella Parsons (Suchi Jain) about how his native country of Austria has been taken over by Nazi's – and walks the audience through his introduction to the intimidating Jack Warner (David DeMarco). Right away, Clarisee Cofrancesco as Lydia Lansing proves to be a constant source of comic relief, as Jack Warner's mistress who, unhappy with the promiscuous roles she's been given by Jack – her lover – wants to be given a film with "prestige," providing the catalyst Reinhardt needed to get Warner to agree to the film.

The arrival of Oberon (Charley Bloomfield) and Puck (Madeline Pandos), marks an eventful day for everyone involved in the film. Oberon is at once stricken with love for Olivia Darnell (Ashley Lennick), and Puck falls in love with the idea of being a "star" and with the so-called "hot chicks" around Hollywood who find him adorable. When Oberon gets into a fight with the narcissistic and entitled Will Hays (David Biddle), and sends Puck in search of a magical flower, the action picks up, as Puck manages to enchant the wrong people and causes a great many mishaps amongst the actors.

As the play progressed and Puck and Oberon attempted to fix the mess they created, other standout actors included Abu Akki as Dick Powell, who falls desperately in love – thanks to the help of the enchanted flower – with actor Joe E. Brown (Alex Kallis), dressed in drag as Thisbe. Additionally, Daryl, the shy "yes-man" assistant to Warner, and Will Hays stood out as the flower affected their love lives.

Technically, the show performed well, with subtle set changes and excellent sound cues and lighting. Though slightly low at the beginning of the performance, the actors picked up their energy as the plot thickened, creating an enjoyable show filled with laughs and wonder.

Unionville's "Shakespeare in Hollywood" with nods to both the original play and the modern day, was truly a show with prestige.