A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Australian Shakespeare Company are renowned for their lively and engaging productions set in the outdoors. This year A Midsummer Night’s Dream features in the Shakespeare Under the Stars program. This is a dazzling and delightful production which exploits the outdoor setting to the fullest. The performances are energetic, the costuming and props sparkle, and the lighting is spectacularly colourful and dynamic. The show is replete with an array of special effects that create a truly magical atmosphere and bring the fairy world of the forest to life.
Syd Brisbane (Puck/Philostrate) is able to be both facetious and sagacious and this helps to explain the strange and hilarious turn of events throughout the play. Nicole Nabout (Titania/Hippolyta) and Hugh Sexton (Oberon/Theseus) bring a very regal tone to their roles. In the forest this is aided by some great choreography and acrobatics to show their supernatural powers which produces a beautiful contrast with the real world of Athens.
The Mechanicals are a wonderful motley crew. The humour generated by their antics is one of the great strengths of the production and they often steal the show. The flamboyance of the performances of Elizabeth Brennan (Bottom), Jackson McGovern (Francis Flute), Madeleine Somers (Peter Quince/Mustardseed), Henny Walters (Snug/Fairy), Tane Williams (Demetrius/Robin Starveling) and Alex Cooper (Lysander/Tom Snout) is well suited to their capers.
The interactions between the lovers are also very amusing although some of the more dramatic exchanges between them are somewhat obscured. Larissa Teale (Helena/Cobweb) and Olivia McLeod (Hermia/Fairy) are very nicely contrasted. Helena is rendered exuberant and Hermia demure and this contrast works well to explain their tempestuous rivalry. The very athletic and vigorous approach to all the roles in this production adds to the overall liveliness of the show.
The design of the staging, costuming, lighting, and special effects are especially important in this production as collectively they virtually create the set. The gardens are lit up and populated in an enchanting manner and make this show visually stunning. This is an exciting performance that makes the outdoor experience unique and superior.
Patricia Di Risio
Photographer: Ben Fon
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