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:

22 May 2008

There have been plenty of productions recently that relish exploring the darker side of this play. It seems that too many have sought to bring out the Freudian elements of the text, relishing the opportunity to examine the hidden meanings in this, one of Shakespeare’s most sexual plays, at the same time forgetting that this is, above all, a comedy.

This was never really going to happen in Jonathan Munby’s inventive and jolly Globe production. This is not the theatre to explore the darker recesses of this play but even so, Munby isn’t slow to pick on some familiar human weaknesses.

What is striking is that Helena and Hermia clearly have a love-hate relationship from the outset - old friends they may be, but even old friends have an eagerness to settle old scores. What this means is that their falling-out in the wood does not emerge out of nowhere but is a continuation of that feud. There’s a particularly good scene where Hermia and Lysander co...

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Latest User Review

Gareth James - 18 May 2008:

I've supported the Globe since its first season and have had some great nights there. It has occasionally seemed like a tourist trap, but mostly it has made me look at Shakespeare differently and I've become to enjoy him in modern theatres less.I think this is the first Midsummer they've done(?), in which case that's surprising as it seems the most obvious choice for the Globe. So its very welcome and doesn't disappoint. Again here, I found myself absorbing more of the verse that I normally do and I lost myself more in this bizzare fantasy world. It uses the space very well, looks lovely and has had some excellent perfomances. It's a traditional, captivating production and one of the best things I've seen at the Globe....

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