Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Exchange Theatre
Article published: Friday, July 13th 2012
Mule reviews an inventive interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by director Sean Holmes in association with Filter Theatre Company and Lyric Hammersmith.
Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo: Jonathan Keenan.
This is not a traditional or classical interpretation; instead of lavish costumes and Elizabethan era set design, we are entertained by modern amusing twists and turns, songs and shenanigans.
Oberon – the King of the Fairies (Jonathan Broadbent) – in his winged Adidas trainers, silver cape and blue unitard emblazoned with an “O” has the audience in stitches, along with his nonchalant side-kick Puck (Ferdy Roberts). The fickleness and frustrations of romantic love are superbly presented by the exasperated Helena (Rebecca Scroggs).
The stars of the show undoubtedly are the mechanicals – the earnest and excited Quince and the boisterous, overbearing and obtuse Bottom. From the opening prologue when he likens ancient Athens to contemporary Brighton, we are enamoured of the Irish ‘Quince’ as he introduces what the evening has in store for the audience. He tells the audience of the play within a play – the ‘metafiction’ or literary parody used by the writer – where he himself is the greatest director within the play within the play! This play within the play – named ‘The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe’ – is eagerly awaited and does not disappoint, for it is most lamentable, but purest comedy.
A novel way of presenting the powers of Puck and Oberon and the entourage of the fairies allows us to be impressed by the directing and designers of stage and set. The sound designer and composer (Tom Haines) too needs applauding, for the songs fit snugly into the script and sometimes are the original Shakespeare script itself.
Allusions to the world of gaming, the Jubilee year celebrations and Hollywood stars, as well as the props of walkie-talkies, Sainsbury’s shopping and camping tents bring to the production a refreshing and exciting, new, magical and chaotic world. Anything can happen. And indeed a lot does happen.
Serendipity S.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream continues at Royal Exchange Theatre until 4 August. For more information, visit their website. Photo by Jonathan Keenan, courtesy of Royal Exchange Theatre.
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