David Heron And Cast Of Colonial Theatre Celebrate Stellar Run of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Award winning actor and playwright David Heron and the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Colonial Theatre, Rhode Island are celebrating a highly successful run following their final performance at Wilcox Park in Westerly last Sunday, August 18.

And Heron, a veteran producer as well, says that several of the younger actors in the large company with whom he shared the stage are destined for great things.

"The original music done for this show by actor and musician Chris Cornwell, who also played Snout, was just incredible and added so much to the mood and ambiance of the piece. Young Henry Gardner I think was brilliant as Lysander and with the right team behind him, he can go very far. Grace West had just a tiny supporting role as a fairy, but she has the aura and charisma of a young Lauren Bacall and I think you'll hear her name again a lot more in the future. Anna Paratore (Hermia) is luminous and very reminiscent of Julianne Moore to me and Daniel Duren (Demetrius) found nuances and magical moments I've never seen before in that role. So I think we were blessed to have a number of rising stars in this terrific show and the feedback from the audiences in Westerly was that they knew they were witnessing some very special performances indeed. I can't wait to see where they all go from here. I'm certainly interested in hiring many of them myself."

The show, directed by Canadian helmer Michael Scholar Jr played to hundreds of Rhode Island residents since opening on Friday August 2, with many patrons identifying it as one of the most enjoyable Shakespeare in The Park offerings by the Colonial in many years.

Stellar reviews for the production praised both the show itself along with several actors in the large cast, including Jamaican born Heron who was dual cast as Theseus and Oberon. He portrayed the latter using his Jamaican accent and was hailed for his power and authenticity. http://www.colonialtheatreri.org

Jen Olivares, who appeared opposite Heron as his love interest in the roles of Hippolyta, betrothed wife to Theseus and Titania, Queen of the Fairies, along with Stonington, Rhode Island native Nora Fox, as Philostrate and Puck, also received high praise for their work.

Other cast members attracting glowing notices included Colonial Theatre veteran Marion Markham as Quince, Alana Rader as Helena and Karack Osborn as Bottom.

The Colonial Theatre of Rhode Island is the state's official Shakespeare Theatre Company and has been presenting free Shakespeare in the Park productions in Westerly for some three decades.

A popular new addition to this year's production was a one hour 'green show' prior to the start of most performances, in which singers and musicians from the cast and from throughout Rhode Island entertained the capacity audience.

Pictured: David Heron And Jen Olivares