A Midsummer Night's Dream

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.

Our Review:

28 March 2001

Dawn French's Bottom is a revelation. And if you find that opening line the least bit amusing, you will relish the latest rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Director Matthew Francis cranks up the comedy in this production, which rocks and rollicks, thanks in no small part to Miss French, a consummate comedienne and, so we can now say, an impressive Shakespearean player.

Francis sets his Dream on the homefront during the Second World War. Hippolyta and Theseus (Michael Siberry) are exiled European royalty hiding out in a grey-washed English country house. With the bombs crashing in the distance, the troupe's escape to the fairies and fantasies of Lez Brotherston's enchanting wooded glen provide a symbolic escape from wartime atrocities. The setting also allows for some ingenuous casting of the Mechanicals. Here, all but one (Flute, of course, who later "performs" as the cross-dressing Thisbe) are played by housewives forced to join the ...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 9 May 2001:

The effort given for the set of this production was obvious, if only the same effort had been reflected in the actors' performances. I enjoyed the Vicar of Dibley, but I didn't realise that Bottom was the female priest of a rural village in England. French's portrayal was mildly entertaining at best and embarrassingly crude the rest of the time. Shite....

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