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 April 2013

DIRECTOR Gary Sefton can apparently do no wrong. The latest in a succession of five-star productions for Northampton’s Royal&Derngate, this extraordinary, hugely inventive and highly entertaining show should therefore come as no surprise. But when it comes to Shakespeare, some directors who are good in their niche can be left exposed by the scale or particular requirements of the Bard. Sefton has no such difficulties.

This Edwardian Dream is endlessly imaginative, elegantly creative and hilarious enough to evince genuine tears of laughter. Cut – extremely intelligently – to an hour each way, it fizzes and froths with wit, energy and an infectious sense of unadulterated joy.

The cast of just eight are used hard. Every member doubles parts between the Athenian court and the magical forest, and is required to work especially diligently with character and costume changes, acrobatic coverage of the elaborate set and a plethora of regional accents. Fortunately...

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