Showing @ C South, Edinburgh until Mon 25 Aug @ 18:00
It’s enough to tempt fate. Request to see an outdoor performance of Shakespeare’s most summery play and the sky predictably darkens. August weather in Edinburgh is nothing if not refreshingly unpredictable.
Happily, the move into St Peter’s Church doesn’t seem to put performers off, with all appearing commanding and confident. Some characterisation works better than others, with Puck a slight disappointment. Played with the glee of a hyperactive child, this seems to be the only style used for the character these days; and though acted with wit and energy, it does begin to grate.
There’s a slight tendency for actors to speak too quickly, which is likely the result of cramming Shakespeare into a Fringe-sized slot – though lines remain crisply articulated and projected. Otherwise, the production has been smartly edited, with several over-long fairy speeches trimmed down to their bare bones, and all the better for it
Dream has the potential to be one of Shakespeare’s funniest plays, and this production delivers. A lacklustre performance is often marked by no laughter until the play-within-a-play in the final act. Pyrimus and Thisbe raise a chuckle, as do all the Athenian player scenes, but the funniest moment is the lover’s confrontation. It’s a tangle of passionate voices, flailing limbs and fantastic chemistry. The pomposity of the hopelessly privileged nobles is sent up marvellously, with nothing taken away from the sweetness of the ending; making this is a performance with heart, soul and very funny bones.