“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” William Shakespeare’s popular comedy, opened Friday night at the Clarence Brown Theatre and proved that love truly has no rhyme or reason.

Quickly, let’s talk about the set. I had never seen a play on the Clarence Brown Theatre’s main stage, and I just expected a rectangular space with curtains and sets that stagehands would wheel on and off stage. No, no, no, friends. Doors appeared out of the floor, a bed was pulled into the rafters, cast members appeared through sliding, individual sets.

Really, I just want to say Clarence Brown has an effing cool stage.

Side note out of the way, the play’s cast made a 1500s-era production feel completely modern while maintaining its timelessness. Yes, two of the leading male characters wore Converse, but that wasn’t it. Honestly, I had a fear that the traditional Shakespearean English would be hard to focus on; however, my only restlessness came from my inability to sit still for longer than an hour.

It was a play that could intrigue those who have never heard of Shakespeare before, but wasn’t watered down so much so that it would disappoint those true Shakespeare fans. It captured the central theme of love’s fickleness without alienating those who have never experienced love before.

A comedy first and foremost, the production isn’t without its bellyache-inducing laughter. Yet, you still understand the complexities of the characters—their desires, their fears, their heartaches. Even the fairies were relatable.

It’s a play where we see bits of ourselves in each character.

We’ve all been Helena, pining for someone who wants nothing to do with us. We’ve all been Oberon, quaking with jealousy. And of course, Hermia and Lysander, hopelessly devoted to each other.

For college students, it’s a reminder that not all our decisions make sense and the road to what we want may not always be flat.

But as the play proves, we’ll all get there.