The current production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is not one to miss. A combination of humour, an Edwardian playroom setting, and the use of all the characters being played by ‘children’, makes for an entertaining 90 minutes for all ages, and particularly younger audiences.
This production is one of Shakespeare’s most well known comedies is adapated and directed by Toby Hulse, with the set and costume design by Georgie White, lighting design by Will Monks, casting by Ceri Bedingfield, and sound designer being Fraser Owen. It stars the very talented Martin Bassindale, Daisy Ann Fletcher, Fintan Hayeck, Lara Grace Ilori, Andy Umerah and Dewi Wykes.
By blending a story of six children trying to put on a play for their granny with the promise of ‘iced buns’ if they can do so, and the retelling of Shakespeare’s classic story through the children’s imagination, it gives the play a childlike tone. It swaps between the children bickering over who plays and who, and whom is messing up the plot of their play, and an honest adaptation of the original language from the play itself. It makes the text more accessible for younger children without taking away from its core and original form.
Whilst this adaptation is a mere 90 minutes the whole way through and therefore misses out parts of the original play, it keeps to the main plot points including Oberon and Titania’s argument, the transformation of Bottom, and the mix-up of love fairy juice by the mischievous puck on the wondering Athenians in the forest.
Each actor gave an exquisite performance, balancing between their child characters who squabble and disagree with each other over how the play should go, and their classic Shakespearean characters that they then switch into playing, as well as the company of Peter Quint (if things weren’t already too complicated).
The set and costume designs are simple yet effective. Dawned in Edwardian outfits, the actors each switch between subtle props to show the differences in characters, as well as the use of rose-tinted glasses to show when one is under Puck’s love tricks. A standout for me was the use of the ‘disappearing’ flowers that Oberon and Puck use during their scenes, a clear ‘how did they do that?’ moment. The sound also adds humour to the story, with the use of Tchaikovsky’s ballet to make for a scene in which Nancy, one of the children, wants to show off her questionable dance moves.
Another standout performance for myself and my friend was that of Fintan Hayeck as Pyramus, in which his comic moments made us laugh out loud multiple times. However, each of the six actors shined in their roles and brought their multiple characters to life.
This particular production is a fun and entertaining evening indeed. As an avid Shakespeare-goer myself, I do not usually have high expectations for modern adaptations of the play, yet this one did not disappoint in the slightest. The combination of Shakespeare’s original text and the children playing makes this production perfect for families and young children, as well as for Shakespeare lovers like me. Try not to miss it before the limited run finishes.