An enjoyable and clever production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for a younger audience.
This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the Unicorn Theatre’s first co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company, creating a pared back version of the play that is accessible to children as young as seven. The production is playful and witty, blending smart moments of direction with an ability to tap into childish wonder.
Co-directors Rachel Bagshaw and Robin Bellfield have approached the daunting task of slimming down Shakespeare with precision, and the play feels approachable for a younger audience without, for the most part, losing the depth and nuance of the original script. The use of projected captions in various funky fonts on the pared back backdrop of plywood-like material is an especially clever device, working particularly well for the voice-over interjections of Titania’s attendant fairies.
The play centers around four lovers fleeing Athens for the woods surrounding for their own different romantic reasons, encountering magical confusion and chaos. The forest is ruled by its quarrelling fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, played by Chris Jared and Amelia Donkor. Both Jared and Donkor display a commanding presence befitting their characters, with a standout scene being their first explosive argument, physically twisting as if they are both being blown around by the storms that have manifested from their quarrel, as the guardians of nature.
The lovers’ portrayal of both the comedy and the deep pain of love is enthusiastically conveyed by a lively and responsive quartet. Boni Adelyi is particularly captivating as Helena, moving from confused anguish to playful exuberance, making Helena’s desperate pursuit of Demetrius both pitiable and deeply understandable, not always the case with this character. The lovers’ scenes contrast with the comic relief of the bumbling mechanicals, led by one of Shakespeare’s most brilliant comic creations, Bottom (Emmy Stonelake). Stonelake gives a fantastic rendition, making each well-loved line feel fresh and spontaneous, drawing laughs from all ages within the audience.
Praise must also be given for Puck, played by Joséphine-Fransilja Brookman with charm and the accompaniment of silver bells of laughter. Necessarily for a children’s production, the character loses some of its complexity, the more darkly mischievous elements of a fairy who is aligned with her sometimes immensely cruel master. Nonetheless, Brookman floats and dances across the stage with an effortless physicality, ultimately drawing the play to a quiet and beautiful close. In another strong piece of staging, she bends over a glowing orb, her shadow leaping up the wall, sending the audience away feeling the world is a little more magical.
The production is at the Unicorn Theatre, London, until the 10th May. Tickets linked here: https://www.unicorntheatre.com/events/a-midsummer-nights-dream