Calling all Anglophiles! A musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is afoot, and it features the music of David Bowie, Elton John, and Queen.
“Midsummer/Bowie Elton Queen” is a Motte & Bailey, prod. production and will be the first outdoor theater presented on the Baltimore Peninsula. A special arrangement with the Baltimore Peninsula Partnership will bring it to Elijah’s Park for two weekends in June with an additional special performance outdoors at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Maryland on Sunday, June 14.
This is the third musical Shakespearean adaptation from Hannah Fogler, after sold out performances of “Hamlet/Black Parade” in October and “Caesar/Americana” in March. “Midsummer/Bowie Elton Queen” is a celebration of life, love, and embracing who you are, even if it involves getting lost in the woods in the process.
The story follows quarreling lovers, an amorous fairy court in turmoil, and a boisterous band of players, with“Midsummer/Bowie Elton Queen” aiming to be hilarious, heartwarming, and mischievous all at once. The production is also proudly queer and colorful, filled with “glitter and whimsy from asses-to-elbows,” reads the press release. The promise? “‘Midsummer/Bowie Elton Queen’ will leave you with a song in your heart and a smile you won’t be able to wipe away.”
“I didn’t come out as Queer until I was 30 years old, so I was well into adulthood before I got to be my whole self publicly and privately,” Fogler said. “’Midsummer’ is not just a celebration of who you are, it also celebrates where you are on the journey to yourself. It’s hard to stop and just appreciate where you are now, but that’s what we’re doing with ‘Midsummer’ – pausing the world for a couple of hours, just being, and celebrating our full, authentic selves.”
Fogler’s production differs from traditional productions of the play in that Athens and the Fairy Court are ruled by women in a matriarchal society wherein heterosexual partnerships are in the minority. Gender roles are flipped, most roles belong to women, and several are non-binary. Different types of platonic and romantic relationships are represented in this version in ways that may not be what Shakespeare originally intended.
Since Fogler’s “Midsummer” is a celebration of self, however, her approach to casting is direct. There is no cross-gender casting – the actors portray the characters as their own gender and sexuality. Folger herself plays Demetrius, who is in this version a bisexual woman, not the seemingly straight man of Shakespeare’s text.
“’Midsummer/Bowie Elton Queen’ is a Queer Fantasia full of joy – and it is definitely not a show you want to miss,” Folger said.
Motte & Bailey, prod. are the first Baltimore Theatre Company to present outdoor theater on the Baltimore Peninsula. Elijah’s Park was named for the late U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, who served in Congress representing Maryland’s 7th district from 1996 until his death in October 2019. Before that he served in Maryland’s House of Delegates from 1983 until 1996. He was a beloved Baltimorean, a gifted orator, and an inspirational public servant seen as a hero dedicated to Baltimore City and everyone who called it home.
Dates and times for Elijah’s Park performances are:
- Friday, June 12, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, June 13, 8 p.m.
- Thursday, June 18, 8 p.m.
- Friday, June 19, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, June 20, 8 p.m.
The park is located at 301 Mission Blvd., Baltimore, Md. Audiences are invited to bring camp chairs and blankets to sit on the lawn while they enjoy the happy, raucous sounds of ‘Midsummer’ on the Peninsula overlooking the middle branch of the Patapsco River.
Date and time for the special additional performance outdoors at Boordy Vineyards is:
- Sunday, June 14, 6 p.m.
Tickets are $30 for general admission and $20 for students, teachers, and artists. They can be purchased online at the Motte & Bailey, prod. website.
CONTENT WARNING: The show contains drug use, sexual themes, sexual situations, and overt sexuality (including references to kink culture), partial nudity (PG-13), and bawdy/blue humor. This show is not suitable for those under the age of 15. This production makes use of theatrical effects including haze/fog and live music.
