REVIEW: REP’s ‘Midsummer’ is a flawed but quietly nuanced Shakespeare comedy
“Repertory Philippines goes back to basics in a straightforward production that strains to generate more momentum, but builds good chemistry and small moments of inspiration.”
The prospect of faithfully adapting a play as bizarre as William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream seems just as difficult as reinterpreting it. By design, its story is an odd combination of elements, which can be summed up as the shenanigans of a group of young lovers and a band of would-be actors, instigated by the whims of fairies and the harshness of Athenian law. To communicate its overarching themes coherently is itself a juggling act.
Repertory Philippines’ new production represents an imperfect but valiant effort at trying to get the puzzle pieces of the original text to fit using a largely classical approach. One can feel the strain, as the show frequently loses momentum during its more serious sequences. But whenever it gets to indulge its imagination, the cast’s comedic chemistry becomes more assured and the play finds more space to layer-on greater emotional nuances—leading to small but striking moments of inspiration.
By-the-book approach
Because this production chooses to stick closely to Shakespeare’s script, it doesn’t take an explicit moral stance on the manipulation that certain characters undergo to make the comedy possible. There are broader ideas ripe for contemplation, however: love as a fickle thing, or as something pure that’s exploited by greater powers; the enchantment used to humiliate the fairy queen Titania is, after all, the same one that ultimately leads the young Athenians to clarity. Is distrust an inevitable part of romance that all lovers must go through as a test? There are no direct interpretations here—and yet the text’s absurd sense of humor remains intact.
Where this Midsummer‘s by-the-book approach ends up feeling like a limitation is in its setting. Without a more distinct time, place, or milieu guiding this story, Ohm David’s otherwise functional, stalactite-adorned set and Carlos Siongco’s curious mix of quaint and contemporary costumes tend to seem random rather than purposeful. The size of the theater also dwarfs the set and can’t help but accentuate the empty spaces that get left on stage. Only when the Mechanicals enter to rehearse their own show does the world of this play really begin feeling detailed and lived-in, thanks to charming prop design by Alexandra Monserrat.
Comic transformations
In general, this production grows more confident when it cuts loose and has fun; the same applies to the cast. Prior to things descending into comedic chaos, the performances are much more focused on proper line delivery, at the expense of more interesting character-building. Early monologues can feel hurried in their recitation, almost academic in tone. But once the second act lets the actors express a fuller range of expression, the stage practically brightens up with them.
The Mechanicals; Photo Credit: Daryl Ordas of Indio Creatives
This is particularly clear with Sevee Eslabra (playing Hermia), Isabelle Prado (Helena; alternating with Dani Roque), Luis Marcelo (Lysander), and GK Diola (Demetrius), relishing in all their physical comedy and rapid-fire bickering. Alexa P. Sandiego’s Peter Quince is a spirited, optimistic leader for the Mechanicals, proud of even their smallest achievements. Giannina Ocampo-Van Hoven (alternating with Lesley Leveriza Lina) makes the most drastic comic transformation as a deliriously infatuated Titania, while Tristan Bite’s Nick Bottom remains remarkably clear and confident from behind a donkey’s mask. Even Randy Villarama’s scheming Oberon eventually gets to sway side-to-side in glee. And Joey Cosio-Mercado’s Puck is more a disgruntled servant than an enthusiastic accomplice—which makes their performance of Midsummer‘s final monologue all the more earnest as a plea for understanding.
Little human touches
Even at the show’s most irreverent, director Jeremy Domingo maintains a politeness of tone and a sense of clean, classical order to his blocking. This keeps the script at the center of focus and prevents the plot from becoming potentially more confusing, but it can also lead to sluggish storytelling. Establishing each group of characters comes off like an obligatory task instead of a deliberate setting-up of pieces at play. And attempts at anachronistic humor, through the inclusion of modern pop songs, are hampered by less-than-polished singing and sound that has the music playing at a softer, distant volume.
Randy Villarama as Oberon; Photo Credit: Daryl Ordas of Indio Creatives
But this Midsummer is also capable of being more dynamic. Domingo’s direction is especially effective when it gets more physical—the four-way lovers’ quarrel making use of the set’s stairways—or involves a larger number of characters. When the ensemble gathers to see the Mechanicals perform, Domingo creates all sorts of moments to watch: the actual play-within-the-play, Quince directing and stage-managing in the background, and Theseus and Hippolyta looking on in amused bewilderment. And in the production’s most inspired choice, an entire, silent mini-drama plays out between Hermia and Lysander over the course of the Mechanicals’ performance. In Eslabra and Marcelo’s glances and gestures, their heartbreak and regret gradually shift into vulnerability, forgiveness, and newfound trust in each other. It’s these little human touches that ultimately give the play the catharsis it needs.
This reviewer watched the 4 PM, September 11 press preview.
Tickets: P820–1,545
Show Dates: September 12–27, 2026
Venue: Saint Cecilia’s Hall, St. Scholastica’s College, Manila
Running Time: approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission)
Company: Repertory Philippines
Creatives: William Shakespeare (Playwright), Jeremy Domingo (Direction), Andie Villegas (Assistant Direction), Sheik Completado (Technical Direction), Angela Boyore (Assistant Technical Direction), Jay Pangilinan (Musical Direction), Aldous Mercado (Sound Design), Jomelle Era (Choreography), Ohm David (Set Design), Meliton Roxas Jr. (Lighting Design), Justin Santiago (Video Design), Alexandra Monserrat (Props Design), Carlos Siongco (Costume Design), Val Rivera (Assistant Costume Design), Nadynne Marie Esguerra-Hernandez (Hair and Make Up Design)
Cast: Randy Villarama, Giannina Ocampo-Van Hoven, Lesley Leveriza Lina, Joel Parcon, Isabelle Prado, Dani Roque, Sevee Eslabra, Luis Marcelo, GK Diola, Joey Cosio-Mercado, Tristan Bite, Alexa P. Sandiego, Rico del Rosario, Ysh Bautista, Robert Bradly Hao, Belle Alejandro, Diandra Lee, Rosea Ansay, Lorrie Figueroa
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