On Thursday we visited Shakespeare North for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The production is primarily the creation of the Headlong Theatre company, working alongside Shakespeare’s Globe.
I was looking forward to a couple of hours of lighthearted and frothy drama and fun; I feel that this is a play that I know very well. However, from the moment when Puck, dressed in white tights, a white tutu and a one-sleeved jacket, came onto the stage eating a banana, I felt rather lost. I realise that the play has the potential for being disturbing, even potentially terrifying, but it felt like the director focussed only on the darker recesses of the play, intending to shock and unsettle the audience. This version of the play was quite dark, with a hint of menace running through it. Guns, shooting, drug taking and gratuitous swearing all added to the unsettling nature of the production. Even the setting was changed from midsummer to midwinter with snow and fur coats.
Playful, no. Disturbing, yes.
However, any play at this wonderful theatre is worth seeing. I certainly will never view
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the same light again.
