Fridays Are For Frank: “Put Your Dreams Away” / Mile Square Theatre’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Hoboken’s Sinatra Park is really living up to its name as of late—we had Sinatra Idol in June, Skanatra just last night, and The Mile Square Theatre’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

That last one might be a bit of a head-scratcher—what does Shakespeare have to do with Sinatra?

In honor of Frank Sinatra’s centennial, the Mile Square Theatre’s (MST) version of this beloved Shakespearian play is set in the 1950s along the Hudson River waterfront. Additionally, the music features traditional Sinatra songs—while many of the actors have New Jersey accents.

Representing two of the most influential artists of all time, Stratford-upon-Avon intersects with Hoboken-upon-Hudson to deliver a uniquely enjoyable interpretation of this comedy—with some outstanding performances.

MST Artistic Director Chris O’Connor directs the project, in which the Associate Artistic Director Matthew Lawler, an actor who has recently been in movies such as Knight and Day, Grand Theft Auto V and God’s Pocket, stars as Bottom. The cast also includes Dillon Heape of the American Conservatory Theater as Oberon, Aaliyah Habbeeb of the Mixed Blood Theater as Tatiana, and Lou Carbonneau, who has recently had roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Law and Order,” as Peter Quince.

Mile Square Theatre closes its run in Sinatra Park this weekend, with shows on Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm.

Catch “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” while you can, before you have to “Put Your Dreams Away”…