Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon – until 30th March 2024
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a multilayered tale which revolves around the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Due to be married in 4 days they are embroiled in a conflict involving four Athenian lovers, and the antics of a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play which they hope to perform at the wedding. All find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate the humans for their own intrigue and gain, headed up by the King and Queen of the Fairies, Oberon and Titania and the mischievous sprite Puck, who ensures the path of true love is a muddled one.
This was a beautiful and original production, which is difficult to achieve when a piece has been performed countless times. There was so much physicality to it, which perfectly balanced the wordiness. Bright, bold colours were juxtaposed by backdrops of pitch black. Eleanor Rhode’s new version for the RSC was timeless, even though its running time was 3 hours it was engaging throughout and thoroughly hilarious. Lucy Osborne’s colourful and imaginative designs spanned the decades giving the piece a timeless feel and creative license to be playful and modern without losing the heart of Shakespeare’s sublime story. Planet like paper orbs surrounded the ceiling, combined with Matt Daw’s exquisite lighting, and coupled with John Bulleid’s beguiling illusions, these created a feast for the eyes and mind, drawing us into a magical, mystical world.
Parts of the stage would rise and fall gracefully, floating flowers which would glow on command, animated donkey ears to much comic effect, Fairies represented by specks of light which would dance and dart across the stage and astonishingly quick costume changes, all added to the dream like quality of this production.
There were 2 stand out scenes for me. Puck leading the human lovers on a chase around the forest is a masterpiece. Choreography by Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster shines. The lovers leap in and out of darkness, roll and tumble, accompanied by thumping music, your senses are aflame. You are assaulted by a shower of colourful balls and then the lovers are gone, dropped off the stage into darkness. Pure theatrical magic and mayhem. The second is the play within a play. The laughter from the audience was constant. The physical comedy was immense, and every player seemed to relish their part. Simply stunning.
Although Mathew Baynton as Bottom was certainly the main attraction and he rightly deserves this accolade, for he was amazing, the cast as a whole were incredible. Baynton’s Bottom, (we did almost get a glimpse as he appeared trouserless for a lot of the play) was that beautiful balance between eager am-dram enthusiast and confused lover/donkey, if there is such a thing. There was plenty of pathos and a whole plethora of buffoonery, which was a joy to behold.
Bally Gill was brilliant as Theseus and Oberon, there was a clear distinction between the Duke and the powerful King, both in his movement and vocal performance, he commanded the stage well and was incredibly engaging to watch. Sirine Saba also managed the dual role of Hippolyta and Titania well and had a beautiful chemistry with Bottom. Ryan Hutton as Lysander, Nicholas Armfield as Demetrius, Dawn Sievewright as Hermia and Boadicea Ricketts played the lovers with sincerity and poise, but it was Ricketts who really stood out for me. She brought a fierce modernity and realism to the role which brought many a wry smile to my face. Helen Monks’ Quince, Emily Cundick’s Snout, Tom Xander’s Starveling and Mitesh Soni’s Flute formed an enigmatic ensemble. From their frantic scrambling when Bottom transforms into a Donkey to throwing themselves into the side-splitting play they never failed to entertain and nail every single gag. Now to Premi Tamang as Puck, surprisingly not the first choice but a stand in. I can’t imagine another Puck for this production, she was perfect. At times undulating, at others stomping, her play with light and smoke was mesmerising. We were completely transfixed by her. Word perfect, we fully believed by the end of the play she could actually be a fairy.
The combination of talent contained within this production made for an outstanding watch. Every moment was meticulously crafted and masterfully designed. ‘Oh, what visions I have seen’. Creative, hilarious, innovative, and astonishing, this rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one you don’t want to be woken from.