A Midsummers Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was first published in 1600 and has remained consistently popular, albeit presented in different styles along the way.Once again, the audience at Colwall was met by an innovative set on two levels, this time along the side of the Hall, with stylised furnishings including beanbags, cushions, potted plants and a record player, with ‘California Dreamin’ playing to welcome us.

To summarise the story, four Athenians run away only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four pursue each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry – of course a lot more happens along the way involving both adults and the youngsters from this company.

The opening sequence involved the adults in the company, which was excellent and very amusing. As Theseus (Steve Burford) prepares for his marriage to Hippolyta (Michael Peden), he is interrupted by a courtier, Egeus (Pip Barber). Egeus asks Theseus to intervene in a dispute. His daughter, Hermia (Anna Hodges), will not agree to marry Demetrius (Alex Lake) - whom Egeus has chosen for her, because she loves a gentleman named Lysander (Daniel Bates). Meanwhile Helena (Yaz Taylor-Haroun)  is desperately in love with Demetrius, who seems to have abandoned her in favour of Hermia. Theseus asks Hermia to be obedient to her father. He offers her one of two options; she must either die or accept his proposal. Without exception their dialogue was excellent, clear, moved at a good pace and was absorbing.

Nearby, Oberon (Alanna Leeming) has recently quarrelled with Titania (Gracie Stephens) and begins to plot a way to get revenge on Titania for disobedience. Oberon sends a fairy servant, Puck (Martha Loraine), to fetch a purple flower with juice that makes people fall in love with the next creature they see.  Again, some mature confident performances from all three and good support from the fairies Peaseblossom (Rosa D’Ambrosio) and Mustardseed (Katherine Bradshaw).

Meanwhile, a group are preparing a play of a tragic love-story to present Theseus on his wedding day. Bottom (Libby Cox) presented the dialogue with some poise and was well supported by Lucy Copeland (Quince), Ava Tame (Flute), Isabelle Howell Schwab (Snug), Orlagh Malone (Starveling), and Lois Cox (Snout). With a critic’s hat on, one could suggest that at times their dialogue was in fact too quick, to absorb every word, which for most 10-18 year olds is understandable. However, they did an impressive job presenting the not too simple dialogue and their potential with natural experience is awesome.

As the story progresses, and the saying that a bad or difficult situation can be forgotten if it has a good outcome, which this did have… you could say ‘All’s well that ends well’, and this production in the capable hands of Lee Farley did just that.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.