A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Birmingham Rep Review
Written by Roni for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Sometimes it feels like nowhere does Shakespeare better than the Midlands, and this latest offering from the Rep is certain not to disappoint. Designed for an intended audience of young people, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the latest adaptation of one of the Bard’s works that promises to make the classic contemporary. Can they truly deliver an Elizabethan story to compete with smartphones and FYP’s?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a Shakespeare tale that many will be familiar with, if only from GCSE English classes. The story follows two groups, regular humans and fairies, as they navigate life and love, with this production introducing some slight twists. Young Hermia is devastated when her father Egeus promises her hand to Demetrius and refuses to accept her love for Lysandra – so much so that the pair promise to run away together into the woods that night. Meanwhile, Helena is desperately in love with Demetruis, who continuously refuses her advances in favour of his unreciprocated feelings for Hermia. When each goes chasing after each other in the woods, they garner the attention of the fairies dwelling there, namely the mythical Titania and her mischievous accomplice Puck. A troop of actors rehearsing there also pique their interest, and Puck is tasked with fixing everyone’s relationship woes. Chaos inevitably ensues, and with everyone falling for the wrong person, can the fairies straighten out the damage they’ve done?
From the off, it’s clear that this is no ordinary Shakespeare retelling, as a giant organisation logo that wouldn’t look remiss in the Hunger Games is suspended at the front of the stage. The show begins with a slightly confusing element concerning climate change that is not well woven throughout the show: it rears its head again briefly at the end, but still manages to get across the message about preserving and enjoying the natural world. The set is minimal but effective, consisting of staggered pillars filled with greenery and trimmed with LED strips, that give way to a set of stairs used for several dramatic entrances. Much of the story remains the same, albeit with some slight jazzing up and gender swaps, but this is a show that has utilised music to its benefit very well. A smattering of well-known 80’s and 90’s tracks are sprinkled throughout the show ramping up both the laughs and the camp, such as Haydn Oakley’s Oberon delivering a gorgeous rendition of Foreigner’s I Want To Know What Love Is in an attempt to woo Omar Malik’s Bottom.
Whilst the rest of the cast are dazzling, the show is undeniably stolen by Adam Carver, better known as Brummie drag legend Fatt Butcher, who serves up a gorgeously camp Puck. Whether it’s the feather laden pink outfits, or the discotheque original music created to accompany Puck and Titania’s lines, Carver captures the audience again and again with their dry humour and willingness to play with them. A special mention must go to Omar Malik as Bottom, whose physical comedy lights up the stage, and reminds us of that one overly enthusiastic member who exists in every amateur dramatic society.
Overall, this is Shakespeare for the modern age. Keeping the original script, but with a fabulously queer vibe that feels more like being in Nightingale’s on a Thursday is a bold, but wise decision. This is a deliciously camp production, full of glittering wit and pop-laden laughs that will have you dancing and singing into the night – more than enough to restore amends.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays at Birmingham Rep until 24 May.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
