Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s Globe

Forget everything you know about A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Director Holly Race Roughan, backed by co-producers Headlong and Shakespeare’s Globe, has, if nothing else, been bold and brought a genuine re-invention to the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. It’s clearly not summer, for a start. The hats and scarves in the audience are a testament to that. As are the white set, sprinkles of snow, and Narnia vibes from designer Max Johns. The result is a world that feels frostbitten and airless, a place where laughter must fight to exist amongst very real shadows. 

Puck, played with dark intensity by Sergo Vares, is more thuggish punk than playful spirit. He’s a crow-like Machiavellian clown, contorting his body as if possessed one minute and stopping the stage action mid-breath with a flick of his wrist the next. His costume – half ballerina, half Weimar cabaret MC – might be a step too far, but the overall effect is arresting. In this bleak landscape, he becomes a demonic stage manager, gleefully manipulating mortals under his spell. 

The story remains largely intact, but here love is horrific, arguments are brutal, and blood is spilt. This version of arguably Shakespeare’s most popular comedy is, ultimately, a tragedy. It comes complete with a brutal final ten minutes reminiscent of Hamlet’s accumulation of corpses. All the set pieces are still present and correct, though. Bottom fans will be delighted by Danny Kirrane’s winning performance, complete with asides to the audience and pretensions as an amateur Mechanical actor. He pulls off being heartfelt and vulnerable while still being a bit of an oaf. His transformation into the ass is clever. No fake ears, just a change of footwear required. His scenes, refreshingly played for warmth rather than menace, offer rare pockets of levity, reminding us of the charm that usually defines the play.

Acting elsewhere is less well assured. Manic pace and busy gestures amongst the young lovers distract from the text, robbing us of some of the Bard’s best lines. Titania and Oberon’s battle over custody of the Changeling Child is the focus of their relationship. It’s all very transactional and, again, some of the play’s romance is lost. Do divorce lawyers exist in fairy land? The king and queen should find out.

The boldest stroke of all, however, is making Theseus an utter bastard and his wedding to Hippolyta deeply and disturbingly dysfunctional. As the former, traditionally doubling as Oberon, Michael Marcus becomes believably malevolent, transforming into a gun-toting sadist at the point most other Theseuses are wrapping up the happy ending and leading the revelry. It’s a choice that is undeniably impactful, but it throws the play’s tonal balance even further into uncharted territory.

Your reviewer left the theatre applauding brave choices from all involved. The shift to the dark side doesn’t always work, but it felt invigorating to see a play we think we all know re-framed quite so dramatically. What next? A Winter’s Tale set on a Majorca beach holiday? Bring on summer, I say.

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Holly Race Roughan
Co-Directed by Naeem Hayat
Design by Max Johns
Candlelight & Lighting Design by Joshie Harriette
Composer & Sound Design by Nicola T Chang
Costume Supervisor: Jackie Orton
Design Associate/Access Support Worker: Hugo Aguirre
Dramaturg by Dr Frank Peschier
Fight & Intimacy Director: Haruka Kuroda
Movement Director: Malik Nashad Sharpe
Origins Assistant Director: Sonny Nwachukwu

A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse until Saturday 31 January, before going on tour.