The conceit in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is that the spirit world can interfere in, and with, the human. What was probably not imagined is that those spirits can also interfere in the dramatic world. And so, in the first scene involving the travelling players, a large piece of scenery (a door) begins to travel very slowly across the stage. We wonder if this could be part of a show, already getting plaudits for its magical special effects, until a stage hand pursues it and returns it whence it came. The cast cover with genuinely funny ad libs and Mathew Baynton (Bottom) repeats the last line before the interruption.
MSND is meant to be chaotic. It lends itself superbly to mixed settings and so we enjoy a bit of Bollywood, synth pop, a feisty Scottish lass and some laddish mods (moddish lads?), trapdoors, ladders and proper magic.
Some of that magic is beguiling with the minor spirits being seen only as lights. Invisible hoists and unexpected trapdoors provide the height. A very deep, bare stage the depth.
The comedy is funny, the effects effective and the time passes quickly in the company of a good cast and crew. More like this please.
No comments:
Post a Comment