Midsummer Fairies

A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo by Manuel Harlan

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. On at The Bridge Theatre, London until 20 August.  Directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Review by Gill Yardley

Do you believe in Fairies?

 If so, head down to London and see this wonderfully enchanting performance of one of Shakespeare’s most magical plays.

The play is wraparound, and audience participation is the name of the game. You can choose to join in the fun onstage or sit back and see from the seats on all four sides from above. The schoolchildren who followed the action on the stage were fascinated. I hope it persuades them to become regular theatregoers.

Susannah Fielding, Jemima Brown, Lennin Nelson-McClure, Bella Aubin, Kat Collings, Ali Goldsmith. Photo by Manuel Harlan.

 It is fast-paced and very funny, but is it a show, a play, or a circus? By the end I hadn’t decided which as all three elements are there. My favourite was Felicity Montagu, playing Peter Quince. What a time she had directing the Mechanicals, they were delightfully all over the place, and very funny.

A lot of action took place in the air as actors were either swinging on big swings suspended from the ceiling or rollicking in beds also up in the air. At one point there were seven bedspreads – one a bunk bed, that were being used for the actors to navigate the stage, which went up and down at will.

I liked the three balloon girls, covered in red balloons and smoking naughtily. Their outfits were popped by the lit cigarettes, and they left the stage quickly with their modesty intact.

David Moors & Divesh Subaskaran in A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Bridge. Photo by Manuel Harlan.

It is always good to spot the quotes in Shakespeare’s plays, and there’s plenty here.

“Lord What fools these mortals be,” from Puck,

And

“Though she be little, she be fierce,” says Helena of her friend Hermia.

Yes, I believe in fairies, and I think you will too as you leave this play. It astonishes and amazes in lots of ways and stays with you long after it finishes-leaving fairy dust everywhere.

Captivating.

For dates and tickets:  https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/a-midsummer-nights-dream/