A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM | GRAND OPERA HOUSE, YORK
★★★★
‘This is Shakespeare as it should be, engaging, fresh and accessible to all’
Don’t be mislead by the Heras wire fencing, lonely park bench and the distinctly industrial nature of the staging, York Stage’s retelling of Shakespeare’s tale of lovers and fairies is a vibrant, uplifting and often irreverent production of which the Bard himself would have surely approved – it not only invites the audience into his mystical world, but makes them gleefully complicit in the goings-on there.
Set on the streets of Athens Court, a northern council estate, and in the woods that surround it, the story remains faithful to the Stratford-Upon-Avon playwright’s text. As the programme confirms; ‘In the mystical twilight of Midsummer’s Night, the realms of reality and fairy blur. Four youthful lovers, grappling with the prospect of a loveless union, flee the confines of Athens, wandering into an enchanted forest. Meanwhile, a troupe of aspiring actors rehearse a play to commemorate the impending royal wedding of Hippolyta and Theseus. As these unsuspecting mortals cross paths with the tumultuous clash of a fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, delightful chaos reigns in the natural world.’
That chaos is not just delightful but infectious, immersive and rousingly rambunctious. Think Shakespeare meets Shameless, and if that is the case then Mark Holgate’s ‘ned’ Oberon is the Frank Gallagher of the piece. Having fallen out of favour with Titania, a feisty yet always regal performance from the excellent Suzy Cooper, Holgate prowls the stage dangerously as he determines to teach his beautiful Fairy Queen a lesson.
The parallel worlds of the tale also allows an opportunity for Cooper and Holgate to slip between characters. As Hippolyta and Theseus they rule with benevolence, as the Fairy Queen and King, they have much more fun. As does James Robert Ball, doubling up as Philostrate and Puck. The former finds him offering a light, flouncy performance that contrasts nicely with his blinged up Puck. All cross body man-bag, baseball cap and luminescent tracksuit, he brings the sprite a chav-like unpredictability, mischievous and sinister in equal measure.
While these three lead the company and drive much of the action, the remainder of the cast, comprising local professional actors and members of York Stage’s community company and youth theatre, maintain a constantly high standard and ensure Shakespeare’s words and rhythms are impressively delivered.
May Tether as Moon, flies in to provide ballsy vocals throughout the piece. She has a big voice and needs it to match musical director Stephen Hackshaw’s thumping rave soundtrack. That proves a touch of genius and features such well-known EDM anthems as Freed From Desire, Can’t Take My Eye Off You, You Got The Love and a blistering rendition of 2 Unlimited’s, No Limits. There’s even a blast of Cascada thrown in for good measure. It shouldn’t work, but it does, brilliantly.
Director Nik Briggs brings a strong vision for the piece into play, the result is an overtly physical, pacy production with more than a few surprises along the way. He also has a clever knack of subverting gender specific lines to riotously funny effect.
Elsewhere, Joanne Theaker is a scene-stealer as both Egeus and Quince, and Ian Giles’ Bottom and Pyramus are perfectly crafted comic creations. Of the young lovers, Will Parsons’ posturing Lysander channels all the insecurities and arrogance of youth, while Meg Olssen’s Hermia, a lass who knows how to use her knee, is a delight to watch. Amy Domeneghetti, meanwhile, brings a self-effacing humour to the role of Helena, while Sam Roberts proves a robust Demetrius. All four charm are stars in the making.
By the time it comes for the mechanicals to perform Pyramus and Thisbe, director Briggs has upped his game further to ensure the ‘play within a play’ gets the loudest and longest laughs of the evening. Raucous comedy at its best.
Adam Moore’s lighting design ensures the woodland scenes are richly lit and enhanced with haze to create the ethereal world of the fairies, while Ian Thomson’s sound design has every foot tapping and head nodding along to the musical numbers performed by Hackshaw and his tight three-piece band, Sam Johnson, Emily Jones, Catherine Strachan and Georgia Johnson.
Full of spirit, laughter and knowing nods to the audience, this is Shakespeare as it should be, engaging, fresh and accessible to all.
Runs until Saturday 10 May, tickets here.
