Unsmooth Course of True Love, Scampering Over a Connecticut Lawn.

Bottom sings the blues in the Shakespeare on the Sound production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream,'' directed by Joanna Settle and featuring a score by Stew, the star and composer-lyricist of Broadway's ''Passing Strange.'' Changed into an ass by the mischief-making Puck, the hapless Bottom howls out an achy, lowdown song set over a classic riff, finding in his transfigured form the eloquence that eludes him -- despite his loquacity -- when he's in human form. This delicious, unexpected moment is one of many in which Stew's subtly modulated music adds fresh seasoning to this summertime favorite. When Titania and Oberon set aside their grievances at last, their passionate embrace is met with a burst of electric guitar. When Lysander awakens, charmed into love for Helena, a surging swell of music signals the new groove in his heart. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]