Many thanks to James for his review of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ that was performed in Budbridge Manor gardens by the Arreton Community Theatre group last week. Ed
Appreciating Shakespeare is not too difficult off the page – so much has passed into the language, after all – but ‘getting it’ from a stage production is another matter.
Some do, and relish it, but most of us think twice before handing over the folding stuff to see a live performance. The language is wonderful, but it’s not always easy for modern ears, especially if the context is equally archaic.
I am not a thespian, and my own preference will always be for Ayckbourn or Wilde over Pinter or Chekhov, but ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is as lightweight as Shakespeare comes, and one of the nicest things I heard from an audience member for this production was that it was the first time she had really understood the story.
Theatre group excel
This was quite a compliment, especially to a village theatre group performing out of doors, where dialogue can easily be lost in the wind, but the cast excelled themselves, making the parts clear and as plausible as it is possible to be where fairies, love potions and ass-headed weavers are part of the plot!
As is commonly done, the parts of Duke Theseus and his bride-to-be, Hippolyta, were doubled up with Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies.
These were played with great assurance by Glen Koppany and Linda O’Connor, who were word-perfect throughout.
Shakespeare with a twist
Isabel Favell’s polished production was lightly updated, with a slightly 60’s flavour to the costumes, exemplified by Oberon’s appearance in John Lennon glasses and Puck’s shiny suit, shades and bookie’s runner hat.
Puck was played by the multi-talented Oliver Gully, who also appeared as a delightfully camp Philostrate, who MC’d proceedings at the end.
Hermia and Helena, the two girls whose love-lives are turned upside-down by the mischievous Puck, were brilliantly played by Ashleigh Mackness and Jo Holt.
Rough and tumble
They and their on-off-on intendeds, Lysander and Demetrius (Harry Boyd and Oliver Fry) have a monumental fight half-way through the play, which had the audience gasping for breath, not least out of concern for their safety as they hurled themselves about the grassy stage.
Remembering their lines while knocking seven bells out of each other, and trying to prevent the girls from doing the same, was quite an achievement.
Making an ass of himself
The workmen, a.k.a. the ‘rude mechanicals’ (who “never laboured in their minds ’til now” according to Philostrate) included the unfortunate Bottom (Ian Watterson) whose partial transformation into a donkey is the cue for lots of ‘ass’ puns, as well as enabling Oberon’s revenge on Titania, which is to have her fall in love with the next thing she sees.
Later restored to normal, Bottom joins the carpenter Quince (Alain Smith), Flute the bellows mender (Giles Holt), Snout the tinker (Mick Thirkettle), Starveling the tailor (Robert Barnes) and Snug the joiner (Mike Favell), who played a fierce but forgetful lion in the ‘play within a play’ towards the end. Special mentions are due to Giles, whose improbably tall Thisbe emoted wonderfully over the death of her lover Pyramus, and to Mick, whose part as a piece of wall was a lot funnier than it sounds.
Don’t mess with the fairies
The fairies (two of them ‘fairy boys’ in Doc Martens and mohicans) were convincingly played by Hannah Fry, Phoebe and Thea Callaghan, Paedar Ives, Reuben Lovell and Christopher Pickett, and young Christopher Koppany played the ‘little changeling boy’ that Titania was trying to protect.
The gothically attired Tanya Verey accompanied the little group beautifully on her flute, and was joined by Lin Watterson’s concertina on one occasion.
The final part of Egeus, Hermia’s forbidding father, was ably played by Mike Santer, whose smokey baritone made his words sound even sterner.
Superb performances throughout
I was going to say that this was a strong cast for an amateur production, but that would be unfair – it was a strong cast, period.
That they were amateurs is immaterial – indeed, most professional companies would have been unable to assemble members of such an age range, all of whom were right for the part.
It was easy to believe that the young lovers were such, as they were genuinely young and attractive, and no stretch of imagination was required for anyone else, however improbable their situation. The location, in a walled manor garden, was perfect, and the atmosphere was enhanced by Lin’s colourful costumes and the receptive audiences. If you were not among them, you missed a treat.
Three cheers for the hosts
Finally, thanks are due to Piers and Venetia Verey, who made everyone so welcome on their property, and supplied tea and cake; also my other half Ann, who organised the raffle and made more cakes.
I looked after the sound and light, so I had a good seat every night, and I wasn’t bored for a moment.
