Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Shakespeare's Globe

One of London's most venerated theatres, Shakespeare's Globe has re-opened its doors with Sean Holmes's gaudy 2019 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. With staggered entrance slots and social distance protocols in place, the Globe experience feels almost transformed. The groundlings are masked up now (as is the audience as a whole) and are seated on scattered chairs, while the actors wear face coverings when they walk among them up to the stage.

While the fun-filled show is essentially the same, somehow it hits the post-lockdown stage differently and becomes a strong tonic for our theatre-starved senses.The staging now feels as if it could be a drug-induced trip. Just like a dream, some choices still don't make a lot of sense, but the pandemic has us accepting them at face value.

Flashy costumes, tassels, and feathers create a carnivalesque setting for the comedy that remains fairly questionable. The fairies suggest Minion-like creatures, and Puck's chaotic energy is amped up by having the sprite's role split among different actors throughout: Sometimes they're on stage at the same time, creating a fragmented reality of sorts. As a whole, the production has tonnes of personality (some of which is definitely dysfunctional). Think of it as a huge party with several magical brass musical moments penned by James Fortune.

Peter Bourke and Victoria Elliott reprise their roles as Oberon and Titania, while Ciáran O'Brien is the only returning one of the lovers, playing Demetrius. This new staging sees Shona Babayemi as Helena, Bryan Dick as Lysander, and Nadi Kemp-Sayfi as Hermia, with the last-named exceptionally lovable and expressive as Lysander's love interest.

Nadine Higgin is once again in charge of the Rude Mechanicals as Peter Quince. She wrestles Sophie Russell, the new Bottom, who is simply fantastic in the role (Pyramus's death is always a treat and Russell's is spectacular). The real scene-stealer is George Fouracres, whose Flute is the gift that keeps on giving. He is blasé and nonchalant, shameless and hilarious as he mocks his companions and gives his own original spin to Thisbe's portrayal.

The Hackney Colliery Band are also back, proffering a party atmosphere from the very start. Costume supervisor Sydney Florence updates the previous looks, adding incredible footwear to the already stylish outfits. Animalier prints, swish colours, and bold statement pieces all fall into place in weird yet charismatic fashion. Disco looks that belong on the most garish 70s dance floors coexist alongside classier monochrome doublets adorned with ruffs that run across the lovers' chests and shoulders. Everything potentially out of place, lopsided, or absurd somehow fits in perfectly.

It's all undeniably bonkers but it works. Holmes has slightly refocused the production, shedding some of the bawdiness from two years ago. It's clear this time around that the show is about bringing fun to the people, whereas 2019 found it accidentally competing with an impressive number of Dreams elsewhere: Nicholas Hytner's immersive take at the Bridge Theatre and Dominic Hill's gorgeous one in Regent's Park, to mention the most successful.

At the very end, after the company have erupted into a celebratory dance, five balloons come down on the windows of the upper stage that say DREAM. At that moment, among all the colours and garlands, and after what quite literally felt like a hallucination, it reads as an invitation, a wish, and a genuine hope for a better year.

A Midsummer Night's Dream runs at Shakespeare's Globe in repertory until 30 October.

Photo credit: Tristram Kenton

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