Midsummer Night's Dream

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s latest production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Eleanor Rhode, promises a bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. With a sparse set, dazzling lighting, and a modern setting, this transfer to the Barbican wants to break the mould—but does it deliver the magic of the dream?

Rhode sets the play in near-modern times with a loose late 1970s post-punk aesthetic. It opens with Theseus, Duke of Athens (played by Andrew Richardson with more than a nod to King Charles circa 1979) and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons (Sirine Saba evoking Joan Collins Dynasty vibes) as they plan their marriage. Egeus (Neil McCaul) presents his daughter Hermia (Dawn Sievewright channelling Nirvana grunge) to court. She refuses to marry yuppie Demetrius (Nicholas Armfield), preferring the more streetwise Casual Lysander (Ryan Hutton). The Duke sides with Egeus, commanding Hermia to obey her father. Instead, she and Lysander plan to elope, confiding in Helena (Boadicea Ricketts) who is in love with Demetrius. Both couples flee into the forest that night.

Meanwhile, a group of workers, led by Rita Quince (Helen Monks), prepare to perform The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe for Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. Bottom (Mathew Baynton) angles for the lead role, and the group decides to rehearse in the forest.

Oberon (New Romantic pirate) and Titania (ready for a night out at Studio 54 in her shocking pink jumpsuit), the King and Queen of the Fairies, have fallen out. Oberon wants revenge and instructs Puck (who wouldn’t look amiss at a Chumbawamba gig) to find a magic flower. The flower’s essence, when applied to someone’s eyes whilst sleeping, causes them to fall in love with whoever they see first upon waking. Puck screws up with the love potion which triggers chaos in this surreal vision of the play.

Chaos is the right descriptor here. This production doesn’t fully gel, feeling messy in places with uneven performances. However, there are moments of brilliance. The physical comedy of the male lovers wooing Helena and eschewing Hermia is particularly strong. It’s refreshing to see Puck as a lovable klutz and Katherine Pearce’s interpretation is delightful. Andrew Richardson’s Oberon is strong and charismatic while both fairy characters effectively lean into their roles as puppet masters with charm and fun rather than purely evil manipulation.

Fans of Ghosts and Horrible Histories will enjoy Mathew Baynton’s portrayal of Bottom whose comedic timing, physical clown skills and charisma shine.
The Mechanicals’ play-within-a-play presented avant garde style (think amateur, OTT expressionist dance) accompanied by Quince on electronic keyboard has some standout moments. Snout (Emily Cundick) as The Wall is a highlight with her deadpan Robert Smith-meets-Siouxsie Sioux persona earning genuine laughs. Bottom as Pyramus is wonderfully exaggerated. Flute (Mitesh Soni) as Thisbe brings us a beautifully poignant moment at the end of the scene by playing it straight. It shifts the energy perfectly and allows us a different aspect to that familiar scene. However, some gags and effects feel overdone and don’t add anything. Sometimes, you can have too much of a good thing.

This production is all about pace and energy but sometimes feels too frantic. While visually stunning, the sparse set should have allowed Shakespeare’s words to shine. Unfortunately, some actors’ hurried delivery turned lines into a jumble of words, and we lost the rhythm of the verse. That said, the lighting was stunning creating an abstract but beautiful aspect to the forest scenes. The innovative use of finger lights and off-stage voices to portray Titania’s fairies was effective and different. However, the large Barbican stage often dwarfed the action, making one wonder if this set and staging would be better suited to a more intimate stage.

The costume design draws heavily from late 1970s British music subcultures but lacks coherence. Oberon’s Adam Ant meets Prince-inspired look and Titania’s Diana Ross disco-glam looks were striking, but the mix of styles, even though they’re from the same era, feel inconsistent. These music tribes didn’t hang out together back in the day. Why would they now? Why does Bottom look like the love child of Paul Weller and Bradley Wiggins? Would grunge fan Hermia, really be madly in love with a Casual in his Fred Perry t-shirt and braces? Why is Lysander a Barbour-wearing yuppie and what is Helena’s style inspiration? While visually eclectic, the purpose of the costumes is unclear and adds to the overall sense of incoherence.

The music, composed by Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory, enhances the pace and tone of the play without being too intrusive. The songs are well integrated and add to the atmosphere of the production.

This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream has many commendable moments, notably Pearce’s Puck, Baynton’s Bottom, Richardson’s Oberon, Cundick’s Snout and Soni’s Flute as well as great set and lighting design and wonderful music. Although very enjoyable, pacy and a lot of fun, this production is ultimately uneven, leaving some of us feeling more confused than wowed.

Midsummer Night's Dream continues at Barbican Theatre until 18 January.

Photo credit: Pamela Raith