William Shakespeare's hilarious fairy tale (with actual fairies!) of love, magic potions and teenage rebellion, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" might be the most performed play in the history of the English-speaking theatre.
The play begins as Athenian Duke Theseus is preparing to wed Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. As they ready for their nuptials, Theseus is asked to settle a dispute between a prominent local citizen Egeus and his headstrong daughter Hermia. Egeus wants Hermia to marry young Demetrius, but Hermia. for her part, in love with Lysander. What's more: Demetrius has been dallying with (and abandoned) the lovely Helena (who is devoted to him), but Demetrius scorns the match. When Theseus sides with Egeus, Hermia and Lysander flee into the woods with Demetrius in hot pursuit (and Helena close at his heels).
Meanwhile, the woods are seeing their own drama play out: the Queen of the Faeries, Titania, is refusing to accede to the demands of the Faery King, Oberon and the vengeful Oberon enlists the help of the sprite Puck to teach her a lesson. Puck obtains a magic potion that will - when given to a sleeping victim - cause them to fall in love with the first creature they see upon awakening. Titania, dosed with the potion, awakens to find a local actor who Puck has adorned with a donkey's head as a prank...and immediately falls for him, much to Oberon's amusement.
A wild and twist-filled story of romance, magic and true love, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
