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Synopsis On a midsummer's night Hermia and her lover Lysander flee from Athens and Demetrius - the man Hermia's father favours as a son-in-law. Demetrius follows, pursued by Helena who loves him in spite of being spurned in favour of Hermia. On the same night Bottom and his friends leave Athens to find somewhere quiet to rehearse their play which is to be performed at the wedding feast of Duke Theseus. Drawn into the woods they enter a world of magic, mystery and wonder. Set in Elizabethan England, Titania, the Fairy Queen will be imagined as "a portrait of the ageing Queen Elizabeth 1, fascinated with the theatre, besiged by courtiers but 'married to the people of England'".
The last time Judi Dench played Titania for Peter Hall (in a mud-splattered 1969 film) she was virtually naked. And Diana Rigg played Helena.
Sir Peter’s Rose Theatre revival sees Dame Judi, again as Titania, in full Elizabethan fig as a sprightly red-headed Gloriana, and Dame Di’s daughter, Rachael Stirling, as a husky-voiced, lissome and sexually adventurous Helena.
In both cases, the performances are infinitely superior to their first versions, and Hall’s production pullulates not only with wonderful verse speaking in this most musical of Shakespearean comedies, but also with a wisdom and spiritual generosity that can only come from age and experience.
The director now has the full measure of the Mozartian elements in the comedies; this Dream is presented as a courtly commission of the Queen who inspects the playbill in a pre-echo of the last act entertainment on the lovers’ wedding day at night.
The arrangement harks back to productions of this play before Peter Brook’s radical RSC white box gymnasium version and it ignores the now common doubling Brook introduced of Titania with Hippolyta and Oberon with Theseus.
The wide, inflexible stage in Elizabeth Bury’s design at first resembles an art deco hotel lobby, but Peter Mumford’s lighting soon creates a more suitable woodland boskiness and foliage.
Just to hear Dame Judi discharge the great speech of forgeries of jealousy and mortals wanting their winter cheer is to be truly blessed in the theatre; her artistry irradiates the rest of the cast, setting a standard that even the mechanicals aspire to in their cumbersome rehearsals. James Laurenson is their stage manager as Quince, while Oliver Chris’ large bully Bottom sees himself, hilariously, as a thespian jack of all parts.
You might have expected the erotic content of the donkey in the bower scenes to be minimal, but Dench of course allows the verse to do the work and the encounter has never seemed sexier, or more charming: the Virgin Queen’s on holiday from her duties with Charles Edward’s stiff-backed Oberon, and the confusions in the forest are wrought with spring-heeled effervescence by Reece Ritchie’s mischievous Puck.
Annabel Scholey’s Hermia is a well observed study in blind devotion, while Tam Williams and Ben Mansfield are also careful to differentiate between the hot-headed Lysander and a rather priggish Demetrius. A conventional revival, maybe, but far too good to be snooty about.
Saw MND last night, and was delighted at how funny it was! Although Dame Judi is not on stage for very long, her skill at portraying a woman hopelessly in love with a donkey was amazing - it was tender and convincing. The comedy of the mechanicals drew much laughter from the audience. The Rose deserves to do well: it's a great theatre, and we are lucky to have it in Kingston. - Jane Anderson
12 Mar 10
The opportunity to see Dame Judi Dench, possibly in her last Shakespearean role, has brought the crowds floocking to Kingston. Casting her as Titania is a bit odd and she's on stage for about as much time as when she won an Oscar, also for playing Elizabeth I, but it is a genuine privelege to see a truly great actress bringing such genius to her verse speaking and interpretation of the role. Dame Judi's presence and Sir Peter Hall's brilliant direction make this a brilliant Dream but unfortunately I've always found the scenes with the fairies and even the mechanicals a bit tiresome and here we are treated to a particularly irritating Puck. Charles Edwards though is a superb Oberon but it is the scenes with the four lovers which are especially memorable. Rachael Stirling as Helena has the most opportunity to shine but Anabel Scholey, Tam Williams and Ben Mansfield are equally fine. A very minimalist stage design does little to create the atmosphere of fairyland but, even if Dream is not greatly to my taste, this is a memorable production due to an exceptional cast. - David Baxter
07 Mar 10
The superb Rose theatre, clear diction and believable characters provided the foundation for this stellar performance.
Judi Dench was supported by a magnificent cast - all of them in career defining performances. Puck and Bottom, Hermia & Helena and Lysander Demtrius exuded credibility - each of them characters you cared for. The true humour of the script grabbed the audience as it seldom does.
A joy and privilege. - Charles Waller
22 Feb 10
A fantastic privilege to see Judi Dench play Titania - her performance was exquisite. But all the rest of the cast were very fine, with Helena, Bottom and Puck especially good. Throughout, the verse was spoken wonderfully. Certainly the best Dream I have ever seen - I wish now I had bought tickets for two performances! - Huw
18 Feb 10
Lovely, brilliant, the best Dream I have seen. Loved it - get tickets whatever they cost. Enjoy a sublime performance - Titania, Bottom, Helena, Hermia and Peter Quince were just brilliant - heartfelt performances that brought the text alive! Wonderful!! - Sarah
18 Feb 10
Fantastic evening - great to see a production that uses verse and not probs. Dame Judi is wonderful - Kevin Q
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