When I saw Peter Brook’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Stratford in the early 1970s I decided that I’d be unlikely to see a more dramatic and exciting production of the play, so I’ll set that experience to one side. In fairness to director Paul Milton, he hasn’t set out to challenge Brook’s hegemony. Make no mistake, this is a splendid production, which I heartily recommend.
This may not be a version that will please the purists: the original play is heavily edited, paring down the running time to around 2 hours (plus interval), and there are some appropriate textual additions; the play’s dramatis personae has 21 characters and all parts were covered by 9 actors who managed their rapid costume changes with seamless aplomb; the staging design of Charles Cusick-Smith and Phil R Daniels evokes both the Athenian court and the enchanted forest whilst ensuring its suitability for a touring production.
The cast, led by the incomparable Tweedy (Bottom), keep the play moving at a decent pace and deliver a fine evening’s entertainment. Special mentions need to go to Laura Noble (Helena / Flute / Mustardseed) for her energetic performances and to Ross Telfer for his effective understudying of Demetrius, Snout and Cobweb.
Most productions of the Dream tend to cast clowning actors as Bottom, whereas Tweedy shows the value of casting an acting clown. His visual comic routines, so familiar to fans of Gifford’s Circus and the Everyman pantomime, immediately connect with the audience and provide a real impetus to the play’s development.
For any parents looking to introduce children (8 years upwards) to Shakespeare, they could do much worse than bring them to see this play as long as they are familiar with the plot. Tweedy and company will do the rest! To see a very diverse audience leaving the theatre with similar smiles on their faces should be the only recommendation required.