A Midsummer Night’s Dream returns to the Bridge Theatre after what feels like a mere blink of an eye but in reality is 6 years! I missed it back in 2019 so I was determined not to let that happen this time. Shakespeare’s play transports us to a world of fairies and lovers and the Bridge Theatre is transformed into a fairy playground. We meet 4 young Athenians who are due to be wed but not always to the person of their affection and as a result Hermia and Lysander resolve to run away into the woods together. However Puck and Titania have other ideas as they sprinkle some magic on the unfolding drama as well as assisting Titania with a power play over Oberon, King of the Fairies, as the same magic causes him to fall for Bottom, an actor who has found himself transformed into an ass!

The Bridge Theatre has developed itself a reputation for immersive and reinvented productions and A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no different. Director Nicholas Hytner’s production is brilliant in his changes to the original piece, in this production it is Oberon who has a magic spell cast upon him, calling him to fall for Bottom which enhances the queer undertones to a fully fledged part of the story. Equally other small changes, from cast ad libs to jokes about playing in the round fit perfectly in the piece and all enhance the work rather than feel like they are they adapting the work for the sake of it. The changes all help the story that bit more accessible and the language no longer feels like a barrier to the work being fully understood but works in harmony with all of the elements around it to help everyone enjoy it, from a Shakespeare expert to someone discovering Shakespeare for the first time. The music that is interspersed throughout the show also helps that feeling and with Act 1 ending with Beyonce blaring out you wonder if it is just the lovers that have had magic cast upon them but if you are also under a spell, but a wonderfully surreal one. Dizzy Rascals, Bonkers is used for the Bottom and his fellow performers final show and that perhaps affectionally sums up the music choices throughout.

The design of the production by Bunny Christie is a work of art. The stage itself rises and falls as we have become accustomed to at the Bridge Theatre with members of the audience immersed around it but in addition to that the fairies swing above our heads performing aerial feats, beds rise and fall from the roof and the cast appear from hiding places within the set or disappear down a trapdoor within the blink of an eye. The design really makes the piece feel otherworldly and Titania and Puck above the action, listening in and every so often interfering is ingenious. The otherworldly feel is enhanced by the costume design by Christina Cunningham, from the greys and blacks of Athens and how this changes for the final wedding following their experiences in the woods, through to the pinks, purples and yellows of the fairies.

The set and the design is intrinsically linked with Arlene Phillips movement direction. The Fairies use the set like a playground and entwine themselves in everything from bed posts to the aerial performances and act 2 begins with an impressive aerial show from the fairies.

The cast are all remarkable and bring unique qualities to their part. Emmanuel Akwafo as Bottom is hilarious and builds a natural rapport with the audience. David Moorst as Puck has mesmerising physicality, with an almost unnatural feel to how he moves he was easy to believe that he was otherworldly. Susannah Fielding as both Hippolyta and Titania had a sense of power that emanated from her that made me nervous to simply meet her gaze and JJ Feild as Thesus/Oberon who transformed from a mighty leader to a fool in love within the blink of an eye.

The lovers made up of Paul Adeyefa as Demetrius, Nina Cassells as Hermia, Lily Simpkiss as Helena and Divesh Subaskaran as Lysander had undeniable chemistry between all of them, their pairings on stage change between them all and I loved the differing energies that each pair brought.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre is a dream of a show, a feast for the eyes, a delightful cast and the most accessible Shakespeare production I have had the pleasure to see. This production not only takes you to a world where magic is a key part of the story but it shows you how theatre itself can be truly magical when the right elements collide.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on at The Bridge Theatre until 20th August 20205. You can find out more here.

if you like this review you might also like my review of their previous productions – Guys and Dolls and Julius Caesar.