‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem’ puts a new spin on a Shakespeare classic
Whether on stage or screen, the works of William Shakespeare have long been retrofitted for different times, places and audiences.
“The Merchant of Venice” has had cellphones and suits. “Macbeth” has been set in the world of organized crime. “Richard III” has been shifted from the 15th century to a fascist universe resembling Nazi Germany. Name a Shakespeare play, and someone somewhere has probably tried to give it a fresh spin and a new twist.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem,” which is being presented by Pittsburgh Public Theater through Sunday, Feb. 19, plants Shakespeare’s comic fairy tale of marriage and magic in ancient Athens into a more contemporary Black world. The art and music of Harlem are highlighted, including dance, jazz and hip-hop, along with African spiritual traditions and other aspects of Black culture. First unveiled in New York in 2013, it was adapted and is being directed by Justin Emeka, who is also Pittsburgh Public Theater’s resident director.
In Emeka’s estimation, Shakespeare was not a rigid adherent to historical accuracy and, in the same way, “my production re-imagines Athens as an African or Black cultural melting pot — essentially a modern version of the Harlem Renaissance.”
He added, “In this production, audiences will recognize Shakespeare’s classic text, while also being introduced to African and African-American traditions of dance, music, fashion, spirituality and design.”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem” first came to the world’s attention in 2013, when it was presented by the Classical Theater of Harlem. A reviewer for The New York Times called it “as fresh as country lemonade.” The production being presented by Pittsburgh Public Theater at the downtown O’Reilly Theater has an entirely different design than the production presented a decade ago, according to Roya Kousari, a spokeswoman for the company, and a different vision.
Emeka is an associate professor of theater and Africana studies at Oberlin College in Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin in 1995, and in the years since has developed a varied resume, directing or appearing in productions of “The Glass Menagerie,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Death of a Salesman,” and “Two Trains Running.” For his master’s thesis, he created a version of “Macbeth” set in the American South just after the Civil War. He has also reworked Moliere’s “The Would-Be Gentleman” into “The Boougie Gentleman.”
“There is a long, long history of Black people performing Shakespeare that dates back hundreds of years, and yet still many questions about how to do so effectively and what it means to his plays,” Emeka said. “Ultimately, we are Black artists who are unapologetically claiming our place as Black people inside Shakespeare’s imaginary worlds. And I think it will excite and inspire audiences who have never seen the play as well as those who have seen it many times.”
Information on showtimes and tickets is available at ppt.org.