When: Thu., Aug. 9, 8 p.m., Fri., Aug. 10, 8 p.m., Sat., Aug. 11, 8 p.m., Sun., Aug. 12, 3 p.m., Wed., Aug. 15, 8 p.m., Thu., Aug. 16, 8 p.m., Fri., Aug. 17, 8 p.m. and Sat., Aug. 18, 8 p.m. 2012
Confirming its volatile reputation — now on the mend with a fine production of Brecht's Antigone last month — Shakespeare Carolina will have a go at the Bard's A Midsummer Night's Dream with true ass-backwards elan. Company founder Chris O'Neill, who normally directs every ShakesCar presentation in Charlotte or Rock Hill, will discard the director's chair and don the donkey's head for this crowd-pleasing comedy, playing the garrulous Bottom opposite Dennis DeJesus's mischievous Puck. All will end well and Jack shall have Jill at the end, but in between, O'Neill and guest director David Wohl are promising a crazy take on the bosky kingdom of Oberon and Titania that will rock your world. ShakesCar set designs are always eye-poppers at Johnson Theatre on the campus of Winthrop University, where Midsummer runs through August 18.
— Perry Tannenbaum