Nicholas Hytner’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was filmed at the Bridge Theatre last summer and is now available for a limited time on YouTube, offers a clamorous carnivalesque take on Shakespeare’s much loved comedy.
Before we are propelled into the beguiling realm of the fairies, the play’s opening scene serves as an unnerving reminder of the repressive patriarchal restrictions that frame the play’s action. The play begins with Theseus, (played by Oliver Chris, who doubles as Oberon) the formidable Duke of Athens, parading his stoic wife-to-be Hippolyta (Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie, who also plays Titania) through the city in a glass box, whilst actors wearing habits sing dirge-like hymns. This makes Theseus’s threat to Hermia that she will have to endure 'the life of a nun’ should she disobey her father’s wishes all the more chilling and provides a greater impetus for her flight into the forest.
Inspired by Peter Brook’s RSC production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1970), actors frequently swing from acrobatic silks that hang from the ceiling, which is an impressive way to mimic flight and takes a lot of skill no doubt. However, I felt that it did lose some of its ‘wow-factor’ as the performance went on, simply because it became familiar. In addition, Hytner’s unique staging means that actors frequently weave in and out of the audience, tumble in and out of beds that rise from the stage floor, and sporadically engage with audience members, ensuring a thoroughly immersive experience.
In a break from tradition, in this adaptation, Titania is the play’s master manipulator and the one who uses Puck to ensure that Oberon becomes infatuated with donkey-headed Bottom, rather than the other way round. This departure from convention works impressively well, for Hammed Animashaun (Bottom) and Oliver Chris (Oberon) prove to be a brilliant comedic duo. Animashaun’s plays an adorable, sassy, dewy-eyed, and jovial Bottom, and Chris makes for an impassioned, fixated love interest. This pairing share moments of pure comedy genius; Oberon seducing Bottom to Beyoncé’s ‘Love On Top’ was one of the play’s standout moments and had the audience howling with laughter. In another hilarious scene, Oberon emerges from a luxurious shared bubble bath, his modesty preserved only by strategically placed wisps of foam. The switching of Oberon and Titania’s roles was very effective for another reason besides providing comic relief; Chris’s multi-rolling as both Oberon and Theseus provides the necessary impetus for Theseus’s softening of attitude at the end of the play, which I thought was very clever. Memories of his dalliance with Bottom the donkey help to increase his support for the joint wedding of the various betrothed couples.
Another particularly successful aspect of this performance is the way it embraces Shakespeare’s various subplots. In addition to the Theseus and Hippolyta subplot, this adaptation also welcomes Shakespeare’s ‘play within the play.’ The ‘Rude Mechanicals’ are a zealous, eclectic group of amateur thespians, who bicker amongst themselves for the best roles in ‘Pyramus and Thisbe.’ Mistress Quince (Felicity Montagu) is in charge of ensuring rehearsals run smoothly, whilst catering to the enthusiastic suggestions of her troupe of actors. Their all-guns-blazing performance at the end of the play is amusing, uplifting, and clever, as well as a neat way of tying the various plot strands together for a grand finale.
The reason why I didn’t rate this performance higher was because I felt at times like it was trying to do too much. Hytner throws everything but the kitchen sink at this performance, including giant parachutes, confetti cannons, acrobatic silks, inflatable moons, and pop hits (sometimes relevant but not always). Playing Johnny Nash's 'I Can See Clearly Now,' when Oberon realises he was infatuated with a donkey was inspired but some of the other musical numbers scattered throughout the play felt a bit random and superfluous. I couldn't help but think at times that Hytner was merely jumping on the theatrical bandwagon of fusing anachronistic material with more modern elements. Although I appreciated the interesting staging, I was not hugely impressed by the ivy-entwined brass beds that were meant to represent the forest. It felt more like a 'vsco' teenager’s bedroom than an enchanted woodland. I was also disappointed by the costuming of the fairies. Their spangly leotards and body glitter felt more ‘Coachella’ than ‘Lord Of The Rings.’ David Moorst plays a creaturely, twitchy, and unearthly Puck but with none of the mischief I was expecting from his character. In spite of all the acrobatics, I wasn’t convinced that the play gelled together as a whole. The contrast between darker, crafty elements and light-hearted scenes felt a bit too jarring. In general, the mood was a bit too sombre for my liking. I was expecting something a bit more raucous and fun (although this might have had something to do with the fact that the last performance I watched of A Midsummer Night’s Dream before this one was by Shit-Faced Shakespeare – a rambunctious night of entertainment where one actor performs whilst getting progressively drunker). The scenes featuring Bottom and Oberon were so accomplished and uproarious that scenes they were absent from felt a bit lacklustre in comparison. Overall, the play had a good pace to it, although there were times when I felt it dragged a little (which may have had something to do with the fact that I watched it in thirty-degree heat so I was understandably a little restless!)
Overall, this was a good performance that failed to blow me away. I would rate this adaptation 3.5 out of 5 stars, as there are better adaptations out there in my opinion.
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