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:

Simon Tavener - 5 August 2011

I will freely admit that A Midsummer Night's Dream is not my favourite Shakespeare play. Occasionally a production will come along that will make me appreciate it with fresh eyes - most recently Edward Hall's touring production with Propeller did just that. I had high hopes that the Royal Shakespeare Company, who have been producing some excellent work in their 50th Anniversary Season so far this, would deliver something equally memorable.

I guess, in one way, they did. But perhaps not for the right reasons.

It is, for my money, the worst thing in the current season - possibly the worst production in a number of years. Nancy Meckler has delivered something that lacks any clarity of vision, any sense of purpose or any artistic coherence.

The Athenian court is transformed into a subterranean warehouse where drugs and alcohol seem to be rife and there is an air of menace pervading all the relationships and interactions. The f...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Autumn Garrett - 4 June 2012:

I think the person who wrote this review should retire and never write again. It was an awesome play! I enjoyed every second and It was well done. There are some people who's favorite play is Midsummer Night's Dream thank you. What your favorite is shouldn't show through on your review, and I think you need to be more objective in your approach. Oberon and Titania did a superb job and well as the 'repair crew' one of which became the donkey....

Read more and add your own review