Whether you're a fan of Shakespeare's classic comedy or not, you'll be in for a wild and captivating ride with this performance. This transportative play follows four young lovers set to spend their lives in unhappy marriages, who flee Athens and enter an enchanted forest, where tricksy fairies abide. Whilst remaining faithful to Shakespeare's script, the RSC inject a unique brand of humour and wonder, from the comedic timing to the magical set design.
Despite an unassuming and slow start, the show was an exciting whirlwind of delight and chaos. The pace picked up the minute Bottom (played by Mathew Baynton) and his eclectic troupe entered the scene, all acted out with the perfect amount of comedy. Witty banter and hilarious comedic timing had the audience laughing out loud, building up to their final performance of Pyramus and Thisbe - the most riotous ending they could have possibly had! And a special shout-out must of course go to “wall”, a masterpiece in silly hilarity that had the audience in stitches.
Bringing the whole tale together was the mischievous Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, who brought a playful and delinquent humour to the fray, with physical and musical comedy that knew no bounds.
Making clever use of the staging, the Barbican stage transformed from a sparse Athenian city to a magical forest where fairies zipped through the sky, and a mesmerising Titania slumbered in a glowing bough. The set design was pared back whilst in Athens, making room for the wondrous visions in the forest. Dizzying and dramatic, the lights were low as the four lovers ran through the woods, who were able to create a frenzied atmosphere in the best way.
On the topic of those four lovers - under the haze of the spell, they brought an energetic change of pace, the fury of Helena and Hermia beautifully complementing the love struck foolishness of Lysander and Demetrius.
All in all, whilst this was a long play, which could be felt at times, it was spellbinding, nonsensical (in the best way), chaotic, and thoroughly entertaining!
A Midsummer Night's Dream is playing at the Barbican, and tickets are available here: https://www.rsc.org.uk/a-midsummer-nights-dream/
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