Fools In Love

This musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is part of The Conquer Your ShakesFEAR Series. Fools in Love is intended to introduce children to Shakespeare, and according to The New York Times, it does the job with exaggeration and pure silliness. The comedy is set in the era of “Happy Days” and poodle skirts, in a California town called West Athens, where four teenagers hang out at a diner and discuss their romantic problems and plans. Hermia loves Lysander but is being pressured to marry Demetrius. On the sidelines, Helena pines for Demetrius, who finds her completely unappealing and tells her so. Conceived by Sarah Rosenberg and Luis Reyes Cardenas and adapted by Sarah Rosenberg, they have kept Shakespeare’s language (accented with an occasional “huh?” or “oh, all right”), letting young theatergoers grasp meaning through context.