FAMILY : A Sunny ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’

“Family theater”--a euphemism for gooey preschooler fare? Not always. Two newly opened shows prove that the label can mean what it says: entertainment with enough range and maturity to please a much broader audience.

For elementary school-agers up to adults, Theatricum Botanicum’s trim but true-to-the-text matinee production of Shakespeare’s fairy- tale favorite “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is more mirthful than magical, but the mirth is worth the trip to the rustic outdoor Topanga theater.

Sunlight, not moon glow, dapples the stage and butterflies make unscheduled appearances, fittingly enough, since director Ellen Geer’s light touch and the cast’s spirited performances have turned fairy mischief and young love gone awry into an unpretentious, sunny romp.

Steven Matt’s strong presence as Oberon and Harry Frazier’s deliciously pompous, braying performance as Bottom stand out, but the bewitched young lovers, played with infectious enthusiasm and terrific timing by Anna Quirino, Jeremiah Wiggins, Sarah Gossage and Matthew Sullivan, steal the show. Gossage’s increasingly wrathful Helena and Wiggins’ adroit physicality as Lysander, are a particular howl.

Clarity is another virtue here. The adult professionals are mostly well-spoken enough for first-timers not to need an interpreter, although Melora Marshall’s confident performance as chief mischief-maker Puck is flawed intermittently by overly clipped Shakespeare-speak.

Costume designer George Periera did the simple but effective mortal garb and fairies’ tatters; nature provides the butterflies.

* “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga, Saturdays at 3 p.m. through July 1, then Fridays at 8 p.m. from July 7-21. $12.50 per adult; $4 children ages 6 to 12. (310) 455-3723. Running time: two hours.

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Classic Heart: “Black Beauty--The Musical,” a small show with heart and intelligence at Serendipity Theatre Co.’s new home base, the Burbank Little Theatre, is the second family treat for, say, mature 6-year-olds on up to adults.

J.D. Jordan’s sensitive, uncloying adaptation is true to Anna Sewell’s classic novel about a horse who experiences both the nobility and baseness of man. The cast’s vocal range, while just adequate, is assured enough to deliver composer Denys Gawronski’s lovely music and Gawronski’s and Jordan’s poignant and ironic lyrics.

In the little black box theater, constraints of space and budget are scarcely noticeable, thanks to Scott Davidson’s fluid direction, Joyce Guy’s crisp, evocative equine choreography and fine performances by adult pros (with able assist from a small youth cast).

Peter McDonald, the only actor not playing multiple roles, is exceptional in the title role; among other notable turns are Katy Henk as Beauty’s high-spirited, doomed stable mate; Annalisa Erickson as Beauty’s mother; and Sarah Lilly as a shallow-souled member of London high-society.

* “Black Beauty,” Burbank Little Theatre, George Izay Park, 1100 W. Clark St., Saturdays at 2 p.m.; Sundays at 1 and 4 p.m. through July 2. $12 per adult; $6 for ages 13 and younger. (818) 557-0505; (310) 836-8002. Running time: 90 minutes.