What fun. A Midsummer Night’s Dream may be Shakespeare’s most revisited play.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is about love. These groups of lovers, royal, common and mythological, are challenged to overcome the obstacles that bring them together. The Duke and his Amazon princess are celebrating their wedding. Four young lovers, mismatched, head into the woods to resolve their difficulties. The king and queen of the fairies gain energies by battling over this (a changeling) and that. And our mechanicals are working to put on a play that features more lovers. All works out tidily in the end. The fun is getting there.
This production by Edinburgh Youth Group feels very much like a group effort with a strong hand at the helm. Everyone’s effort contributes to this raucous, engaging, sometimes silly production. One might not expect less.
The value of theatre in early teens is that it emphasises cooperation and self-confidence. This is an essential part of the education system that we should value. It's what everyone remembers from schooldays.
Usually, it is solely for the delight of parents, teacher and friends. Unleashed it can miraculously come together into something quite special. It might be the perfect balance between the guide and the guided. And a good part of what make these special is that they are all deadly serious but no one takes themselves seriously. Personalities push through.
But this is youth theatre. A few of these merry pranksters might find a future in the theatre. That’s not the point. Everyone benefits from the endeavour. This production is so well conceived and executed that you are energised just watching them. They all look like they are having way more fun than we are.