What foolishness this mortal enjoyed

I took my family to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Bell Buckle Sunday night and I have to confess, I didn't see as much of it as I should have.

I was much too busy watching my kids -- the 9-year-old in particular. I knew I was flirting with disaster, bringing Buzz to a Shakespeare play, especially one that was held outdoors, with all those attractions irresistible to a young boy -- lightning bugs, moths, ice cream, Port-a-Potties ...

This is a child of the Sesame Street and video game generation -- if Cookie Monster can't say it 10 seconds or the Mario Brothers defeat it in five, it can't hold his attention.

We were sitting with in-laws in the row behind the kids, and sure enough, by the second act, I could see Buzz's chair bouncing.

Bored, I thought. Trouble percolating ...

I couldn't have been more wrong. The boy was laughing so hard he was having a difficult time sitting upright. He doesn't know "thee" from "thou," but he knows good comedy.

Folks, this is good comedy.

No, it's not.

This is great comedy.

Once I could relax and not have to rescue audience members from my restless and inquisitive offspring, I sat back and enjoyed the best production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" I have ever seen -- and as an English major whose major emphasis was Shakespeare, I've seen plenty.

Buzz may not have grasped all of the nuances in the play, but quizzing him on the way home, I realized he grasped the gist of the story very well. That's good theater. (Some of the jokes I was just as glad he didn't grasp ... Shakespeare had his naughty moments and Jerry Winsett, playing Bottom, added his own. They had us older folks in stitches.)

There was no bad acting in this production, but there were some who truly stood out. Kahle Reardon gave a whole new dimension to Hermia. If Shakespeare had known of Southern belles, steel magnolias and debutantes, he would have set the play in Athens, Georgia, himself. She turned the Shakespearian lines into wicked drawls and added layers of personality.

Oh, it's so hard to pick out one over the other. The more Kate Siegel was on stage as Helena, the more her character blossomed. Lane Davies and Ruth Cordell, of course, commanded the stage as only the King and Queen of Fairyland could. Zack McCann's Puck was a frenetic and funny blend of Carrot Top and McCauley Culkin.

But the Rustics stole the show.

The rustics are those daylaborors -- Bottom, Snug, Flute, Starveling, Snout and Quince -- who put on the play-within-the-play, "Pyramus and Thisbe." Combining wit (or lack therof) with physical comedy worthy of Moe, Larry and Curly, had grownups, teenagers and children truly howling with laugher.

Joey Waldrop, who played Snout, as well as "The Wall," raised more laughter with one pained expression than you would think possible.

If you haven't seen it, it isn't too late. There will be shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all starting at 8 p.m. The doors open at 6 and there are concessions on site. But make reservations now, or get there early. The numbers have been far more than expected. As big as the crowd was Sunday night, Lane told me it was "light" compared to the first two performances.

And for heaven's sake -- take the kids! There could be no better introduction to Shakespeare than this.

www.tennesseeshakespearefestival.com