A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Gregory Doran

 The Royal Shakespeare Company at The Novello Theatre (formerly The Strand Theatre)

Aldwych, London WC2B 4LD

Designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis

Lighting designed by Tim Mitchell

Call + 44 (0) 870 950 0940 Tickets £8 - £35Tues – Sat 7.30pm; Sat Mats 2pm

Running time 3 hours with intermission

Through March 2006

 A Winter Warmer

Third in The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Comedies season of plays, the magical “Dream” comes to the Novello. Providing a playbill to relish, the RSC goes to great lengths in supporting its productions. And there is plenty in this one to relish, too.

In evoking the magical world of fairies and sprites, whose intent is often questionable, the wonderful work of the Little Angel Puppet Theatre is harnessed to the cause, and the parallel world is breathtakingly achieved. Designer, Stephen Brimson Lewis has provided a set of wonders, and it is lit with the touch of a wizard by Tim Mitchell. There is also the cruel human world of Theseus, Duke of Athens, played by Miles Richardson, and his intended  Amazon Queen wife Hippolyta, played by Bridgitta Roy, et al, and they do seem a little pale in the inevitable close comparison with the ‘other’ world.

 Mind you Jonathan Slinger’s Puck would make anyone’s task unenviable. His Robin Goodfellow is a droll and laidback comic force.  With punishment of death or a nunnery hanging over her, Hermia escapes to the forest with her amour, Lysander. In search of pastoral refuge, they are pursued by her intended, Demetrius, pursued in turn with ardent love, by Helena. It is a time when two worlds collide, a time of sweet dreams and nightmares, and when the ardour of all the young lovers is heightened to such a pitch that their sufferings and legendary mix ups at the hands of Oberon and Puck are unbearable.  It is this rite of passage, though, that secures the inevitable triumph of love over expediency. Showing considerable flair for physical theatre, the quartet did all that was asked of them and more.

Missing the opportunity to demonstrate an all too human descent into churlish payback, Joe Dixon spent too much time making speeches to the Grand Circle, and not enough playing the intricately powered, dark genius, Oberon. His battle royal with the wilful Titania, a real opponent in the hands of Amanda Harris, needed more Machiavelli and less macho-camp.It took until the longed for play within a play (The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe) for one of the mechanicals to steal the show, but Jamie Ballard’s moment finally came in his rendition of Thisbe. Very sweet, very funny. Every conceivable sexual inference was brought to bear in this scene, but given the double entendres in the language none of it could be said to be gratuitous. And the audience loved it.

Strange as it may sound, given that we are talking about The Royal Shakespeare Company, I detected a general lack of respect for the capacity of the Bard to provide the material for honest simplicity. The invitation to discover anew the inherent humor is thus spurned.  This was most apparent in the imposed and unfunny interpretation brought by Malcolm Storry as Bottom, one of Shakespeare’s all time favourites. An odd disappointment in a splendid evening of imagination, tight ensemble playing, visual and musical beauty, and priceless language.

Highly Recommended                        

Saul Reichlin

London correspondent

Talk Theatre in Chicago Radio Show

www.ChicagoCritic.com

Friday 10 February 2006