Showing @ Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 17 Nov
This is by no means a conventional staging of Shakespeare, but one that director Matthew Lenton has kept true to the text. The much-done story of mix-ups and magic has been given a new lease of life by Lenton, who has never previously directed one of the Bard’s works. There’s something dark about this production, suggested in the chilled atmosphere of the piece. Kai Fischer’s set depicts the perfect Scottish midsummer day: rain, snow, wind and cold. And what better to be the backdrop to a night in the forest with fairies, magic, drugs and the man/woman of your dreams?
We begin with Bottom (Jordan Young) at a hospital bedside, inspired by an advert for Athens’ Got Talent. From there the first act churns along steadily, as the story unravels and the audience reacquaint themselves with Shakespeare’s rhythmic verse. The second act very quickly erupts into a bawdy and raucous resolve that is somewhat prolonged by the play’s multiple epilogues and the tragicomic romance of Pyramus and Thisbe, performed by the mechanicals. Puck (Cath Whitefield) sprites nimbly between worlds, generating most of the mischief and dramatic irony that drive the plot and propel the comedy. There’s the strong sense that this story is Bottom’s dream, but like much of Lenton’s work, that’s left wide open to curiosity and interpretation. What Dream is sure to do, is take you to a new world, and let you enjoy being there for an evening.
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