‘Dream’ takes its time casting a spell

Leaping, tumbling physicality, erotic notes and fantastical fairy costumes add dash to A Noise Within’s new staging of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” based on the 45-minute version that the company created to complement the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Mendelssohn concert at the Hollywood Bowl this summer.

Despite the Cirque du Soleil-like acrobatics and color, it took time for this ribald, romantic classic to catch fire opening weekend.

Peter Gottlieb’s atmospheric lighting is too befogged at times, and the deliberate restraint that codirectors Julia Rodriguez Elliott and Geoff Elliott apply to early scenes, a contrast to the frolic that follows, is more tepid than tempered. (A lingering recitative stiffness on the part of Debra Azar as Hermia, Michael Hovance as Lysander and Brooke Parks as Helena doesn’t help.)

The shift into passionate gear takes longer than it should too, although when it does get there, sparks fly.

Vengeful fairy king Oberon and henchman Puck climb on, hang from, leap onto and through pyramid-shaped metal frameworks that are moved around the canted stage. So does Queen Titania’s fairy court, spinning parasols, bouncing balls and tripping about like tipsy butterflies on Michael C. Smith’s abstract and spare set.

As the ensorcelled lovers lose their inhibitions in the heated chase through the woods, they lose various articles of clothing too, albeit in a PG-rated sort of way. Only the notably cut J. Todd Adams, a solid Demetrius throughout, strips off his shirt entirely. It’s ... effective.

In their pursuit of Helena, disheveled Lysander and Demetrius are driven as much by lust as love, and there’s more than a hint of sexual heat between Oberon (an insinuating, wolfish performance by Geoff Elliott, who doubles as the dignified Duke) and Queen Titania (a dominant Deborah Strang).

Costume designer Angela Balogh Calin contributes quirky-sexy ensembles that include Oberon’s floor-length fur coat and leather boots, Titania’s tufted red gown, the early 19th century elegance of the human court and the arresting fairy motley.

Stephen Weingartner’s shaven-headed Puck, the tails of his black frock coat resembling beetle wings, looks downright foreboding. It isn’t until the time comes to restore the enchanted lovers to their senses that he lives up fully to his appearance.

Unleashed, he becomes a puppet-master, pulling unseen strings and snapping his fingers to control the movements of each frantic lover. Most notably, he gestures Adams’ athletic Demetrius through a series of backward somersaults and a back-flip before magicking him to sleep with the rest.

It’s a stunning scene. It wouldn’t hurt to have a bit more of this Puckish menace throughout, even if muted.

For their part, the rude mechanicals, led by Alan Blumenfeld as a hearty Bottom, make the most of the Pyramus and Thisbe burlesque with a howlingly funny take on the erstwhile lovers’ “tragic” death scene.

Throughout, composer Norman L. Berman’s contemporary score, which includes the fairies’ lovely choral lullaby, complements the play’s shifting moods with recorded carillon-like bells, harpsichord accents, strings and horns, while Ron Wyand’s sound design lends admirable clarity.

*

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Where: A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale

When: Resumes 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 10; also runs 8 p.m. Oct. 13-14, 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 31. Call for November and December dates.

Ends: Dec. 3

Price: $30 and $34

Contact: (818) 240-0910, Ext. 1

Running time: Two hours