Fringe 2015 review: “A MidAutumn Night’s Dream”

Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre of New Smyrna is sharing their twist on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Fringe audiences. Kristin Polizzi and Rachael Leonard have choreographed solos, duets, trios, and ensemble pieces to rock classics, showing the many sides of love: good, bad and ugly.

Sarah Osterhus, a gorgeous long-limbed dancer, is brilliantly cast as Puck. The manipulative fairy uses her magic to control the situation, contrasting delicate hand gestures with large movements that filled the space and beyond. When Osterhus was on stage it was hard to watch anyone else.

I was impressed that Surfscape fit an entire dance concert into the boundaries of a Fringe show, complete with set pieces and multiple costume changes. However, many pieces started out strong but went on too long. A bit more editing could bring more focus to these technically talented dancers, and move the story forward without losing audience interest.
This is maybe not the most Fringe-y production, but if you’re a fan of dance, Puck is worth the ticket price alone.

A MidAutumn Night’s Dream
Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre – New Smyrna, FL
Venue: Pink
Length: 74 minutes
Rating: 7 and up 
Price: $10

This article appears in May 13-19, 2015.