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:

16 July 2005

‘The Dream’ is perhaps the most popular choice for open-air Shakespeare performance, and is also possibly the Bard’s most familiar play - which may not breed contempt, but it can induce ennui in the seasoned watcher. Not so with Creation Theatre’s truly magical production in the glorious setting of Headstone Hill Park, Oxford, which succeeds in enthralling, surprising and amusing the enraptured audience.

It’s common to double the roles of Theseus, Duke of Athens (Anthony Hunt) and Hippolyta, his Amazon warrior bride (Stephanie Jory), with Oberon and Titania. Here almost all the cast of eight double as Athenians and mechanicals as well, which adds to the magic and energy as performers dash on and off the set, convincing in every guise.

In their second roles, Hunt and Jory reappear on stilts and glamorously disguised with fairy robes, as sexy a pair of wrangling fairy royals as ever graced a woodland glade. Jory’s fiery Titania is all mud-streaked glamour; and Hu...

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