<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2E1pSl_0wIyeEvT00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2E1pSl_0wIyeEvT00" width="1200" height="761" ><figcaption>A Midsummer Night's Dream at Babes With Blades Credit: Joe Mazza/Brave Lux</figcaption></figure>It was a surprise to see stage combat–focused Babes With Blades Theatre Company stage a Shakespeare comedy (my last experience was a dark and subversive Richard III). While the production drags at times with uneven pacing, the application of BwB’s physical acting style to Shakespeare’s daffy comedy is also refreshing and fun. The company’s stated commitment to “amplifying the voices of marginalized actors in Shakespearean roles traditionally out of reach” is clear and exciting with the cast of gender-expansive actors, as well as unique choices in the double casting (actors playing dual roles of different genders). Standouts include a haughty Hayley Rice and slithering Hazel Monson brooding and scheming together as Oberson and Puck, respectively, as well as Patty Roache giving one of the most embodied and charismatic performances as an angry and jerked-around Helena. A Midsummer Night’s DreamThrough 11/23: Thu–Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, babeswithblades.org, $28-$35The production felt at its best following the subplot of the amateur theater troupe rehearsing Pyramus and Thisbe. This subset of the cast offers some sharp and clever slapstick, notably Logan UhiwaiO’Alohamailani Rasmussen as the quizzical and confused Snug. Their interpretations of Shakespeare’s sometimes inaccessible language, under Lauren Katz’s direction, feel most clear, present, and relatable, showcasing the timelessness of this comedy. The intervening romantic conflicts among various couples, both before and after the chaos created by Puck’s mysterious love potion, feels less enthralling, perhaps hamstrung by rushed dialogue and more limited activation of Babes With Blades’ signature physicality.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Babes in the woods

It was a surprise to see stage combat–focused Babes With Blades Theatre Company stage a Shakespeare comedy (my last experience was a dark and subversive Richard III). While the production drags at times with uneven pacing, the application of BwB’s physical acting style to Shakespeare’s daffy comedy is also refreshing and fun.