A Midsummer Night’s Dream
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Eleanor Rhode
Set & Costume by Lucy Osborne
Illusion Director John Bulleid
Music by Will Gregory
Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Saturday 2nd March 2024, matinee
CAST
Bally Gill – Oberon / Theseus
Sirine Saba- Titania / Hippolyta
Neil McCaul – Egeues
Adrian Richards- Philostrate
Rosie Sheehy- Puck
Nicholas Armfield -Demetrius
Ryan Hutton – Lysander
Boadicia Ricketts – Helena
Dawn Sievewright- Hermia
Matthew Baynton – Bottom UNDERSTUDY Laurie Jamieson
Helen Monks – Peter (Rita) Quince
Mitesh Soni- Flute
Emily Cundick – SnoutLaurie Jamieson – Snug UNDERSTUDY Tom Xander
Premi Tamang- Starveling (Puck on Press Night)
Esme Hough – Cobweb
Charlotte Jaconelli- Peaseblossom
Tom Xander- Mustardseed
MUSIC
Bruce O’Neil – keyboard
Andy Davis- guitar
Andy Taylor-guitar
Nick Lee- bass / synth
Martyn Barker- drums / guitar
Harriet Riley- percussion
Kev Waterman- percussion
They’ve not had much luck with indispositions. On Press Night two weeks earlier, Rosie Sheehy (Puck) was indisposed and replaced by Premi Tamang. Then this afternoon, Matthew Baynton, whose face adorns the poster, was replaced in the role of Bottom by Laurie Jamieson. Baynton’s absence caused some angst at tables near us for coffee, as he is so well-known for Horrible Histories that he was part of the production’s draw. However it does show the RSC’s strength in depth and understudy rehearsal and preparation. Premi Tamang was much praised on press night, and Laurie Jamieson was absolutely marvellous here. Had you not been told who was in it, nor that an understudy was on, you would never have guessed. Ditto Tom Xander as Snug. I realised they must have two complete sets of costumes, because the understudies are differently-sized in all cases. I have read Michael Simkins on understudies and matinees, and though it might apply on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in a seaside resort, this would hardly apply at Stratford or Chichester where matinees are full. Certainly no lead actor would willingly miss press night. However given the amount of work the understudies have to put in, there must be an inclination to give them a go at some point. In this review it is an issue. I can’t show you Laurie Jamieson’s Bottom (OK, heard it before) because all the production photos are Matthew Baynton.
Let’s compensate for lack of pictures of his Bottom. Here is Laurie Jamieson when he was Snug with Helen Monks as ‘Rita’ Quince. He deserves it. Mitesh Soni as Thisbe gave him a little push forward for curtain calls, which understudies should get.
I have a problem, just counting roughly at the links below, this is my 23rd review of my favourite play (in all categories, not just Shakespeare). It is also the nation’s favourite Shakespeare play. I’ll be seeing it again in April. I saw the Peter Brooks classic, John Caird’s much acclaimed version, then recently the RSC’s Play For A Nation twice, Emma Rice’s Globe production twice, and Nicholas Hytner’s Bridge Theatre production twice. So the bar is set very high indeed. Will this join the elite group listed?
Get in at least ten minutes early. The music by Will Gregory is a major bonus pre-show (as well as throughout). Think the mysticism of Vangelis, but rocking harder. They have a drummer AND two percussionists – a reminder of Peter Brooks, who had two drummers on stage in his version.
This is set in a vague era between the 60s and 80s. It starts with dizzying projected images of things like the 1960s TV test card, and Athens has an OpArt background. Costumes are all over the place, or rather over twenty years, from Oberon’s Jimi Hendrix military jacket, Titania’s soul singer pink trouser suit, Lysander’s 1970s chain store look (cf. The Grimleys) with a fine mullet, Puck’s wide trousers and smeared ‘The Joker’ mouth. Bottom is a weaver, so has a smart suit and yellow shirt with matching tie and handkerchief. Hermia is almost punky, but matches her Scots accent with tartan socks, and in the final act, a tartan punkish frock. Helena is in white early 70s trousers and top.
The big USP, the one everyone talks about is the use of illusions and magic. The faeries are tiny floating orbs (and faeries ARE seen as orbs, though usually turquoise not multi-coloured). At a micro level the tiny orbs appear on Bottom’s jacket or fly between Puck’s fingers (Rosie Sheehy is extremely adept at the illusions). This gives a good idea of the richness of the view:
At a macro level, the balls or balloons change colour, projection is over everything, levitation seems to occur. Balls shower the stage. So the Forest of Arden is a psychedelic dream not woods and trees.
For us, it wasn’t such a big deal. Yes, it was fine, very well done … but what got us most was the high quality and originality of acting and direction. Originality? My goodness, that is hard with this play when it’s been performed so many times, but they did it. I liked the cut point between the two parts too, when Bottom becomes an ass, leaving the main four lovers scene in part two. Yes, it does mean the second part is a little longer than the first (1 hour 20 minutes v 1 hour 10 minutes) but when it’s this entertaining, it works better that way.
I must avoid the word ‘the best’ tempting as it is. I have seen enough interpretations to restrict myself to ‘one of the best.’ It applies most of the way through.
Athens. Bally Gill’s Theseus is a little wet, eager to please and not be nasty. Sirine Saba’s Hippolyta radiates utter superior contempt. Then Egeus the outraged father and Hermia his daughter are both Scots, an attention to accent detail so rarely seen. If you see it, watch Egeus in the courtly audience during the final Pyramus and Thisbe play. He is the oldest, so starts to drop off, and jerks trying to stay awake. How often have we seen that at matinees. It may even have happened to us at some plays. Karen was so transfixed by the main action that she missed it.
So to the lovers. While trying so hard to avoid ‘best’ I have never seen a better Lysander than Ryan Hutton. This man is a natural comedian, helped by a resemblance to Jasper Carrot, plus he is athletic. Dawn Sievewright is Hermia, and she was in Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour. When we get to Though she be but little, she is fierce, she gives it the full thing. Sometimes Lysander and Demetrius blend together. Here they work superbly because they decide to do comedian and straight man almost, with Nicholas Armfield as Demetrius.
Boadicea Ricketts is Helena. I wonder if the director, Eleanor Rhodes, who did Boudica at The Globe discussed her chosen spelling. She is a strong physical and sartorial contrast to Hermia, and has an Estuary accent set against Hermia’s Scots. Her performance is powerful. I’ll just say three great Helenas I’ve seen are Frances de la Tour (Peter Brooks), Lucy Briggs-Owen (RSC 2011) and Boadicia Ricketts. Gesture adds a lot, but while you can go for pathos or fury or both, she did fury. One issue is that she is only a shade taller than Hermia. Usually you cast obvious different heights. They solved it by staying well apart in the scene where height is argued.
The Rude Mechanicals had a different line up, with Laurie Jamieson as Bottom. He looked great. If only we had a picture. Here’s Matthew Bayton who you are likely to see (and who will be on the inevitable DVD).
Productions avoid pictures of Pyramus and Thisbe to maintain surprise. It’s a pity Emily Cundick as Snout is an incredibly funny Wall / Tomb and it’s all in her eye movements and exprssions.
When the Mechanicals appear in the forest for the second rehearsal, they arrive on bikes and scooters.
When they depart, Mitesh Soni rides backwards on his trike and hits the wall, timed and executed so well, that he got a show-stopping round of applause. He will get much more as Thisbe.
So to the forest:
This as is usual, the Peter Brooks version, i.e. doubling Theseus / Oberon and Hippolyta / Titania.
Rosie Sheey was King John when Eleanor Rhodes directed that at the RSC in 2019. Here she is Puck. You can play Puck in so many ways. Rosie Sheehy is an incredibly energetic Puck, dancing, swirling, racing around. One of the decisions is that when Oberon and Puck are invisible, they won’t merely watch, they’ll comfort and hug the lovers. So throughout the Lovers main forest scene, they interact as well as observe.
For the main scene, ladders ascend from below the stage (there must be a lot of space under there!) which are used extensively. There are several great things about the scene. Lysander’s movement is one.
There are so many good ideas with the lovers … another is Hermia struggling, being stuck in her sleeping bag when she wakes up.
If I can’t do best actor bit, I can do best version of a bit ever. This is when Puck is watching the action from the ladder, and the lovers struggle and crash into her. She is pinned against the ladder, feet waving in the air while the struggle goes on. This echoes Peter Brooks, where during the scene, one (Helena? Not sure) blocks the doorway by leaping horizontally across it while the others run into her and hold her suspended. I’ve seen that more or less replicated, but this takes a similar idea, but turns it on the helplessly stuck invisible Puck.
Helena has a carefully dirtied costume. Here she is on the ladder with Demetrius.
The Bottom scene is great. Underpants always help. They missed the business with the tail / donkey penis.
They’re not showing any photos of Pyramus and Thisbe. They did it in full with all the audience interjections. Adrian Richards played Philostrate (for once not doubled with Egeus) and added much visual humour, the air guitar solo is not in the First Folio, but got applause mid scene. I reckon it’s best to go with the choice of production photos and not spoil the play within a play. Suffice it to say that Helen Monks proves a great rapper. Keyboard apparently played by her adds much fun. We loved Bottom and Flute’s costumes. Stage blood joke was hilarious. Flute’s cartwheel was astonishing. More sudden applause.
You know how it ends. Here she is:
We were delighted that they re-instated the RSC / Globe dance ending … here at the end of Pyramus and Thisbe, with Rosie Sheehy at the centre as in King John.
Overall a resounding 5. It joins the 5 star Dream club.
*****
WHAT THE CRITICS SAID
5 star
Mark Lawson, The Guardian *****
Birmingham Mail *****
West End Best Friend *****
Broadway World *****
4 star (+)
Katy Roberts Reviews Hub, **** 1/2
Donald Hutera, The Times ****
Daily Mail ****
Michael Davies, What’s On Stage ****
Libby Purves, Theatre Cat ****
Morning Star ****
3 star
Nicholas Ferris, Telegraph, ***
LINKS ON THIS BLOG
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – RSC 2011
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Headlong 2011
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Filter 2011
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Selladoor 2013
- A Midsummer Nights Dream – Handspring 2013, Bristol
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Grandage 2013
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe 2013
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Propellor 2013
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream RSC 2016, ‘A Play for the Nation’ at Stratford (February)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream RSC 2016 Revisited Stratford, (July)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe 2016
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – BBC TV SCREEN version 2016
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, 2016
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bath, 2016
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Vic 2017
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Watermill, Newbury 2018
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bridge Theatre 2019
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Globe 2019
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Watermill on tour, Poole 2019
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare, Wimborne 2019
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Globe 2023
- Dream (streamed, interactive), RSC broadcast 2021
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, RSC 2024
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Everyman 2024, at MAST Southampton
ELEANOR RHODES (Director)
King John, RSC 2019
Boudica, Globe 2017
ROSIE SHEEHY
Romeo & Julie, by Gary Owen, National Theatre 2023
All’s Well That Ends Well, RSC2022 (Helena)
Richard III, RSC 2022 (Lady Anne)
King John, RSC 2019 (King John)
The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter, Ustinov Bath 2018
Strife by John Galsworthy, Chichester 2016
BALLY GILL
Romeo & Juliet, RSC 2018 (Romeo)
Macbeth, RSC 2018 (Ross)
Coriolanus, RSC 2017
Vice Versa, RSC 2017
Salome, RSC 2017
Dinner With Saddam, Menier 2015
SIRINE SABA
Eyam, Globe 2018
The Winter’s Tale, Globe 2018 (Paulina)
King Lear, Globe 2017 (Regan)
HELEN MONKS
The Upstart Crow, by Ben Elton 2020(Susanna)
NICHOLAS ARMFIELD
Richard III, RSC 2022 (Richmond)
DAWN SIEVEWRIGHT
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, National Theatre 2016
I saw the production with Matthew Bayton as Bottom. His performance was hilarious, brilliantly over the top and, unusually for me, he made me guffaw several times while much of the rest of the audience were in stitches. I agree the music was excellent.
You mention that Bally Gill played a Theseus who was “a little wet, eager to please” and was trying “to not be nasty”. In your review, unless I overlooked it, you seem to have missed that this Theseus, was indeed portrayed as weak and wet, and I’m sure this was another excursion into RSC antigovernment comment as he was a spitting image of the present Primeminister, dressed in trousers too short for him and behaved exactly as his political opponents care to portray him. This at least made a change from the jokes about Boris Johnson which the RSC’s producers have been endlessly inserting into plays for the last three or four years.
I suppose the producers and directors at the RSC, in the present times, need be less cautious than they would have had to have been back in Shakespeare’s times when undermining the government may have bought them a stay in the Tower or worse.
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Good point, Graham. I’d missed it entirely, and obviously ethnicity helped the Sunak link. So who was Hippolyta glaring at him from behind? There’s more than one suspect.
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