Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Lyric, Hammersmith

The reproduction of one of Cecil Mary Baker’s 1920’s flower fairies on the poster and programme cover is thoroughly misleading in that it has nothing to do with Sean Holmes and Filter’s modern and characteristic anarchic approach with paint-squirting, food fighting and hard rock. There are no fairies.

The production is definitely not for purists; nor is it for people who do not know the original and want to see Shakespeare’s play. The text is so ruthlessly cut that it is difficult to follow.

The more improvisation there is and the more Ed Gaughan as Peter Quince engages with the audience and argues with Bottom, the funnier and better it is.

Oberon (Jonathan Broadbent) is an asthmatic nerd in a superman costume and with spectacles, looking like a young David Hockney. The mind boggles at what he might be doing inside a zipped-up portable tent. Bully Bottom does not get an ass’s head (what sort of Dream is this?) and Mark Benton doesn’t get any credit. Puck (Ferdy Roberts) is an assistant stage manager.

The billing should read after Shakespeare, not by Shakespeare. A lot of people are going to find this Dream very vexing indeed.

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