Theatre / Reviews
Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bristol Old Vic – ‘A vibrant and impressive Shakespeare adaptation that feels like contemporary theatre’
Within the very title of Shakespeare’s most iconic comedy, there is a suggestion of the dichotomous. The opposing images of ‘midsummer’ and ‘night’ outline and imply the contrasting people and places comprising one of The Bard’s most frequently performed works.
Upon entering the Bristol Old Vic auditorium, the words ‘PERCHANCE TO DREAM’ dominate the otherwise reserved staging. Many will of course associate these words with the most famous monologue in the history of theatre, marking the moment Hamlet determines that suicide is not worth the risk of any dreams (read, nightmares), that may occur during “that sleep of death”.
As the earlier of the two plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream represents Shakespeare debuting the phrase before it was eventually immortalised in “To be or not to be…”
The ensemble, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This adaptation, however, relies less on the dreamlike quality of the script than productions often do. Headlong Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan writes that the company’s mission is to “treat classics as if they’ve just landed, hot off the press”, and in this they have resoundingly succeeded.
This is both a faithful and startling adaptation, ripped from yesterday’s sleep into today’s midsummer. With a runtime of two hours and 15 minutes, owing to the superb dramaturgy of Frank Peschier, this pacy production manages at once to distil and concentrate the play whilst retaining its depth.
Tara Tijani, Lou Jackson and Michael Marcus
Faithful though the dramaturgy may be, this production is not unduly deferential. That is to say: it has a voice. This is most apparent in the directorial treatment of an ‘Indian child’ whose ‘ownership’ forms the primary conflict between Titania and Oberon. Titania claims in the play to have essentially adopted the child following their mother’s death; however, Puck refers later to a child “stolen from an Indian king”.
Written sometime between 1595 and 1596, the play cannot be separated from its context: the East India Company gained Royal Charter in 1600, paving the way for the violent colonisation of India. The child is given precisely zero lines (or even appearances) in the original script, which Headlong rightly seek to draw attention to in featuring the Child (Pria Kalsi) in the main show image.
Michael Marcus & Hedydd Dylan
As I mentioned earlier, A Midsummer Night’s Dream deals essentially in the literal and metaphorical worlds of light and darkness. And it is in the latter of the two that this adaptation makes its most striking impression.
The presence of a handgun in the opening scene does more than just evoke Chekhov. By placing this darkness in the ‘daylight’ world of Theseus (Michael Marcus) and Hippolyta (Hedydd Dylan) who are ensconced within the context of Athenian law, order and logic – in stark contrast with the chaos, transformation and irrationality characterising the nocturnal world of lovers, players and fairies – this production finds additional subversion within a play which already inherently bleeds between these borders.
Jack Humphrey
Amongst all-around strong performances, there are two which for me stood just slightly apart. Danny Kirrane as Bottom delivered essentially perfect comic acting, and to her role as Titania specifically, Hedydd Dylan brought a genuine freshness that I found especially captivating.
It is rare to see a Shakespeare that feels like a piece of contemporary theatre. But in this production in particular, I think that has been achieved, largely due to its excellent pacing. By colouring this timeless comedy with severity and violence, Headlong has created a vibrant and impressive adaptation.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – photo: Bristol Old Vic/Shakespeare’s Globe/Headlong
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Bristol Old Vic on March 4-21 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday (no shows Sunday). Tickets are available at bristololdvic.org.uk.
All photos: Rich Lakos
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