A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Written in about 1595, the play is set in Athens and consists of several sub-plots that revolve round the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Thus, we have  four Athenian lovers = in conflict and six amateur actors preparing for a wedding show. Then Oberon, King of the fairies and Puck become involved in the forest one night. Ah, what a summer dream it was. It was complicated in many ways but was still easy to follow as it touched on many points relevant to today’s society. It was good to see this play and hear it in the language of Shakespeare with no changes for today’s audience.

Congratulations to director Nicky Whichelow for a fluent clear production with a sparse set to match the clarity of Shakespeare’s words. However, her cast varied somewhat, with clarity of diction sometimes lacking.  Still, Troy Cations as Lysander and Larry Cardell-Ree as Demetrius were very good as the disputing lovers. Mind you Madeline Harper (Hermia) and Kalian Tyler-Moss (Helena) were up there with them. Shaun King was a consistent manipulator as Oberon, the King of the fairies.  Still the most outstanding performance was by Tilly Wood as Puck, Oberon’s knavish sprite.  This was really a great display of talent in being so convincing as the trouble maker and stirrer under the directions of Oberon.  The amateur actors for the wedding were a little more amateurish in some ways for this production.

The play flowed well but it was good not to be in Shakespeare’s time when it would have run without a break. There is no risk to the audience as summer is over.  If you see the play, there will be no dreams nor nightmares - just enjoyment.

William Davies