A Midsummer Night's Dream at Canberra Theatre Centre

Shakespeare’s classic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is reawakened in this breathless production brimming with magic, mirth and mayhem.

Love is in the air in Athens – and it’s contagious. Besides the royal wedding, which is just days away, there are young lovers dreaming of enchanted futures together. Hermia and Lysander are besotted with one another, while Helena adores Demetrius. The only snag is that Demetrius loves Hermia – and he’s got Hermia’s father on his side. So nobody is happy. (Shakespeare wasn’t kidding when he said the course of true love never did run smooth.)

Determined to be together, Hermia and Lysander meet in a moonlit forest, with plans to elope. Following hot on their heels is Demetrius, who in turn is pursued by a lovelorn Helena. But the young lovers are not alone in the forest. Nick Bottom and his hapless bunch of tradies have gathered to rehearse a play to be performed at the royal wedding. And, hidden from human eyes, a mischievous sprinkling of fairies are also in the forest that night. The three worlds collide in an explosion of comic confusion that throws the future of all the lovers into jeopardy.

This pared-back production is quick as a shadow. Fast, funny and family-friendly, this is A Midsummer Night’s Dream reimagined.