''A Midsummer Night's Rave'' is a 2002 American film
adapted from
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' released on November 1, 2002. The film stars Corey Pearson,
Lauren German,
Andrew Keegan,
Chad Lindberg
Chad Tyler Lindberg (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles in '' The Fast and the Furious'' and '' October Sky'', as well as television roles on ''Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Supernatural''. Lindberg was also the ...
, and
Sunny Mabrey; and was directed by
Gil Cates Jr. It is set at a
rave
A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
, rather than the forest where most of the original is set. The film received little attention from professional movie critics, but is considered a success with teen audiences, and has been used as an exemplar for a category of movies (the "McShakespeare", an example of
McDonaldization) in more academic publications.
Plot and setting
''A Midsummer Night's Rave'' transposes ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' to modern
rave culture. Unlike ''
Rave Macbeth''—released a year earlier and also adapting a Shakespeare play, ''
Macbeth
''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'', into the context of rave culture—''A Midsummer Night's Rave's'' plot also explores the characters' activities outside of the rave: Xander (
Andrew Keegan) and Mia (
Sunny Mabrey) needs the aid of a rave and a green glowing drug, provided by a British mystic, O. B. John (
Jason Carter), to admit their love for each other; a drug dealer, apparently modelled on
Shylock
Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...
, named Doc wants his stolen drug money; and Nick (
Chad Lindberg
Chad Tyler Lindberg (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles in '' The Fast and the Furious'' and '' October Sky'', as well as television roles on ''Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Supernatural''. Lindberg was also the ...
) dons a donkey costume at a daycare center. The plot is significantly altered from the original to "accommodate a homosexual relationship and to allow one liberated woman, Elena (
Lauren German), to reject her callow lover."
Reception
Among the few professional reviews is
Joe Leydon's for ''Variety (magazine)">Variety'' in 2003. The review is generally negative, but highlights some actor performances and the directorial choice to omit the original Shakespearean dialog. Overall he thinks it "... plays less like witty romantic comedy than a watered-down (and dumbed-down) version of ...''
Go''. [The director">Go (1999 film)">Go''. [The directorgoes for cheap laughs by encouraging actors to chew on the scenery—and each other—without worrying about such niceties as narrative logic and character consistency." His summary of its viability as a film is that "[it] isn't likely to be a fave-rave with critics or auds." Mark Jenkins, in a review for the ''Washington City Paper'', sums it up as: "Although rendered in suitably neon hues, the movie is not a visual triumph; its low-budget seams show, and an attempt at a Trainspotting-like aside is weak. The film's principal virtues are its attractive cast, sprightly pace, thumping soundtrack, and happy-face take on young romance. The love drug is not required for viewing, but any cynics in the audience will probably wish they had taken something."
A more positive take appears in the book ''Visual Media for Teens'' (2009), which in its chapter on "'Issues of Identity' Films" recommends ''A Midsummer Night's Rave'' with the description "This film really manages to stick close to the original story in a delightful retelling of a classic play that appeals to teens." R. S. White, however, in ''Shakespeare's Cinema of Love: A Study in Genre and Influence'' (2016), describes it by saying that "...
hefarcical ''A Midsummer Night's Rave'' (2002),
sa conscious pastiche of Shakespeare's play,
ndshows the irrational events being caused by consciousness-altering drugs and the air of psychedelic fantasy created by a musical rave party." Similarly, ''Joss Whedon as Shakespearean Moralist: Narrative Ethics of the Bard and the Buffyverse'' (2014) lists it among the films it considers "a hit with the teens" in a chapter exploring films that employ allusions to and loose adaptations of Shakespeare, as distinct from the more strict adaptations of
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
,
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
, and
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...
. In an article for
Tor.com
''Reactor'', formerly ''Tor.com'', is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on specul ...
, Leah Schnelbach and Natalie Zutter lists it as among "Shakespeare Adaptations That Best Speak to Teens", and concludes: "If any of you want to revisit a certain
best night of your life subset of 1990s culture, this is your Shakespeare adaptation." In 2016, Kristen Stegemoeller, writing for ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
'', listed it as number 8 in a list of "Shakespeare's Teen Movies" based solely on a plot description found on
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...
. And in a 2015 article "In Defense of Go As A Rave Movie" (referring to ''
Go'' (1999)), Genna Rivieccio describes ''A Midsummer Night's Rave'' as among the "classics" of rave movies.
''A Midsummer Night's Rave'' and the "McShakespeare"
A "McMovie"—the application of
McDonaldization to movies—is, according to Greenberg, characterised by "
oggedimitation and allusion rather than experimentation, even within narrow genre confines
nbsp;... Uninspiring prototypes
hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
have spun off sequels, which have birthed still drearier successors—a Barthesian chain of replication unfolding into ever-declining signification." Jess-Cooke adds that "
heMcMovie fundamentally draws attention to the ideological assertions and determining factors of a fast-food chain of film production. ... film rip-offs that champion loose endings, weak, cartoonish characters, inconsistent screenplays, stale narratives, fast pacing, loud music and soundbite dialogue ...".
Analogous to this, Jess-Cooke creates the concept of the McShakespeare as a
commodification
Commodification is the process of transforming inalienable, free, or gifted things (objects, services, ideas, nature, personal information, people or animals) into commodities, or objects for sale.For animals"United Nations Commodity Trade Stati ...
of Shakespeare adaptations.
In that context she assesses ''A Midsummer Night's Rave''. She finds that it "
cknowledgesShakespearean cinema's main audience as teenage" by adapting Shakespeare's play as explicitly "youth culture". As an example she points out that its entire cast is composed of actors that have played in popular teen movies like ''
The Fast and the Furious'', ''
American Pie'', and ''
10 Things I Hate About You''; and includes a part for pop-culture icon
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...
that "subtly conjures"
Princess Leia
Princess Leia Organa ( or ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is a princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Galactic Empire (Star Wars ...
. She describes its plot as "loose" and "weaves together strands from a variety of Shakespeare's plays", and that it is neither narrative-driven nor ideologically subversive. However, she does find in it an effort to recontextualise Shakespeare away from a "high school" and academic setting, and into a more "in culture" and "anti-authoritarian" one.
Cast
*
Corey Pearson—Damon (
Demetrius
Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter".
Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, ...
)
*
Lauren German—Elena (
Helena)
*
Andrew Keegan—Xander (
Lysander
Lysander (; ; 454 BC – 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an end. He then played ...
)
*
Chad Lindberg
Chad Tyler Lindberg (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles in '' The Fast and the Furious'' and '' October Sky'', as well as television roles on ''Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Supernatural''. Lindberg was also the ...
—Nick (
Nick Bottom)
*
Sunny Mabrey—Mia (
Hermia)
*
Jason Carter—OB John (
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
)
*
Nichole Hiltz—Britt (
Titania)
* Glen Badyna—Puck (
Puck)
* Olivia Rosewood—Tami (
Snug)
*
Chris Owen—Frankie (
Peter Quince)
*
Will McCormack—Greg (
Francis Flute)
* Greg Zola—Snout (
Tom Snout)
*
Keri Lynn Pratt
Keri Lynn Pratt (born September 23, 1978) is an American retired film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Missy Belknap in '' Jack & Bobby'', and as Dee Vine in her film debut, '' Drive Me Crazy''.
Personal life
Pratt, who ...
—Debbie (
Robin Starveling)
* Jamie Anderson—Amanda
*
Jennifer Crystal Foley—Lily
* Jolie Summers—Rose
* Jennifer Foy—Violet
* Sara Arrington—TP Fairy
* Terry Scannell—Doc
* Jennifer Rebecca Bailey—Jennifer
*
Dinah Lee—Jessica
*
Sean Whalen—Gil
*
Jason London—Stosh
*
Charlie Spradling—Stosh's Babe
*
Matt Czuchry—Evan
Notes and references
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Midsummer Night's Rave
2002 films
2002 comedy-drama films
Films based on A Midsummer Night's Dream
Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare
Films directed by Gil Cates Jr.
American comedy-drama films
2002 directorial debut films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
English-language comedy-drama films