A Midsummer Night’s Dream
William Shakespeare, edited by Robin Belfield
Directed by Robin Belfield and Rachel Bagshaw
Co-produced by Unicorn Theatre and RSC
Unicorn Theatre
Runs until 10 May
Star rating: 4
Definitely edited, rather than “reimagined” Robin Belfield’s 90-minute take on The Dream with a cast of eight runs entirely on Shakespeare’s text apart from a few pronoun changes. Moreover it includes some beautifully spoken verse – especially by Chris Jared as Theseus/Oberon and Josephine-Fransilja Brookman as Puck. And the story telling is as clear as I’ve ever seen it. As an introduction for young audiences it ticks all the boxes with panache
Lily Arnold’s geometric set has more than a whiff of Peter Brooke’s groundbreaking 1970 white box production for the RSC – for anyone old enough to remember it. Here we’re in a large white space with sliding transparent vertical boxes, tyres suspended from ropes and high level quasi walk-on shelves accessed by ladders. It means, for example, that Oberon and Puck can look down on the action. And Titania’s bower appears in the centre of the back wall on the same high level. Sometimes we just see heads through windows. It’s all rather magical with bird song and summery sounds (Holly Khan) – as promised by voice at the start requesting that mobile phones be switched off.
There is stunningly imaginative work from Will Monks too. His video and captions designs project every word spoken on stage on to the back wall but fonts change in style and flavour and it moves about. It’s a long way from conventional, functional captioning, becomes part of the action and feels like a conversation in itself. Projection tells us where we are too: Athens, Another part of Athens or A Wood near Athens. And in the interests of impeccable clarity each new character is briefly framed in a doorway with a caption above him or her announcing who they are. And when it’s the mechanicals (who double with the lovers) they carry and use the tools of their trades so we’re in no doubt. It’s all charm-packed fun.
Emmy Stonelake is outstanding as a gloriously Welsh Bottom being as pushy and exuberant as required but tempering it with a bit of self doubt.. She’s also good value as the grumpy, bossy Egeus and there’s a bit of improvised stage business with her stuck-on moustache which is very funny.
It’s a good idea to open a child-friendly production like this with Puck rather than with Theseus being stilted with Hippolyta (Amelia Donkor – good) and plotting daughter-suppression with Egeus. Brookman comes in from the back of the auditorium and speaks Puck’s first speech which works well. So does the use of the semicircular aisle between the stalls and the front block of seats. It makes the production feel immersive especially when Theseus and Hippolyta are watching Pyramus and Thisbe.
In a pleasing production, featuring eight strong actors, highlights include an especially frantic, nicely choreographed fight between the four outraged lovers before Oberon utters the pivotal words which trigger the move back to reality. The bergomask after Pyramus and Thisbe is entertaining too with, Theseus and Hippolyta joining in and the four rustic characters congering off cheerfully at the end.
There were many children (it’s billed for 7+) in the audience I saw it with. Most were engaged and there was a lot of spontaneous laughter. Ergo this is a production which more than achieves what it sets out to do.
