There is a moment in this revival of A Midsummer Night's Dream when the forest first appears. The stage, previously a bare, formal Athenian court, dissolves into a tangle of hanging bulbs and drifting fabric. It is a simple trick, but it draws a genuine gasp from the audience. That sense of wonder is the production's greatest asset, even if it cannot quite sustain it through to the final curtain.
Designer Priya Nair has created a woodland that feels alive without overwhelming the actors. A single, towering oak constructed from reclaimed timber dominates the stage, its branches reaching into the flies. Around it, a series of wire-hung lamps descend and rise like fireflies, manipulated by the fairy ensemble. The effect is handmade rather than high-tech, and all the better for it. Live folk music, played from the wings by a three-piece band, adds an earthy pulse to the fairy scenes. The mechanicals' rehearsal space is marked out with a few crates and a chalk circle, a witty contrast to the court's cold marble. This is a forest you can believe in, and one that shifts mood with the lighting — warm gold for the lovers' confusion, cool blue for the fairy quarrel. The design never shouts, but it always supports.
Director Morgan Wells has assembled a company that clearly enjoys playing together. Tom Hargreaves gives Bottom a rubber-limbed physicality and a generous, unforced comic timing; his Pyramus is a joy, but he also finds the character's quiet longing for transformation. Aisha Khan's Titania is regal and wounded, her speech about the changeling boy delivered with a stillness that silences the auditorium. Daniel Okafor's Oberon is a brooding presence, less petulant than some, and his reconciliation with Titania feels earned. Lucy Finch's Puck is wiry and mischievous, darting across the thrust stage with a wink to the audience that never tips into pantomime. The four lovers — Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius — are played with real comic desperation, their mud-splattered quarrel in the wood a highlight of physical comedy. This is an ensemble in the best sense: no weak links, and a palpable sense of shared purpose.
The mechanicals' play is often the graveyard of a Midsummer, but here it is a triumph. The decision to set the rehearsal in a rough, folk-inflected style works well, and the final performance of Pyramus and Thisbe is perfectly pitched. The wall, played by a nervous young actor with a bucket of plaster, earns a round of applause. The lion's roar is more of a mew, and the audience loves it. Less successful is the decision to have the fairies speak in a stylised, whispered chorus during the love potion scenes. It is atmospheric at first, but becomes distracting, and some of Shakespeare's best jokes are lost. The comedy of the lovers' confusion is well handled, though, with the four actors navigating the tangle of mistaken identities with skill and energy. The pacing here is brisk, and the laughs come often.
After the mechanicals' play, the production struggles. The final act is a series of reconciliations, and Wells chooses to stage them with a slow, ceremonial quality that saps the momentum. The lovers are reunited in a series of tableaux that feel more like a pageant than drama. Then comes a lengthy dance sequence for the fairies, which is beautiful but overlong. By the time Puck delivers the epilogue, the energy has dipped. The running time is two hours and forty minutes including an interval, and the final twenty minutes could easily be trimmed. It is a shame, because the first half is so strong. A tighter edit would send the audience out on a high rather than a gentle sigh.
Despite the uneven final act, this is a Dream worth seeing. It is warm, inventive and accessible, a good introduction for Shakespeare newcomers and a treat for regular theatregoers. The theatre's thrust stage suits the production well, and the sightlines are good from most seats. A few practical notes:
If you can, go on a Thursday or Friday evening when the audience is lively. The cast feeds off the laughter, and the forest scenes feel all the more magical for it. This is regional theatre at its best: ambitious, heartfelt and full of invention. Just be prepared for a slightly soggy ending.
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