A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Take Shakespeare’s tale about a magic love triangle, perform it amongst nature in the Royal Botanical Gardens, add kooky costuming and clever sound and lighting, and you’re half way to imagining this spin on the classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

A full audience made up of young and old alike scattered along the grass enjoying nibbles and drinks from the nearby food truck. The twinkling stars and wildlife helped transport them to the forest where much of the play takes place, the sounds of birds and rustling leaves only adding to the ambiance. 

Costumes were a highlight and saw an eclectic mix of tutus, hockey gear, reoccurring matching outfits and florescent tracksuits somehow culminating effectively in assisting to keep track of the characters as well as giving this version a distinctive twist. The fairy Queen was the envy of all the women in her beautifully bejewelled gowns which had a distinctly Indian influence.   

The varying heights of the minimalist set were used effectively, especially in the second act of the play. Warm mood lighting reflected off the trees worked seamlessly with reoccurring chimes, hypnotic music and the subtle use of smoke machines to welcome the audience into the fairy kingdom and set these scenes apart from those featuring the ‘mere mortals’ or scenes in Athens – a useful tool for the audience to follow along, given the lack of blatant sets.

As was expected, comedy was appropriately and cleverly scattered throughout the play, culminating in a hilarious finale by the band of players whose physical comedy was admirable throughout the entire performance. Clear stand outs on this front would have to be Madeleine Somers and Kevin Hopkins who played Helena and Bottom, constantly keeping the audience in fits of laughter with their portrayal of the characters.

Pack a picnic and get ready to enjoy a few laughs on a wonderful night out this summer. I’ll be sure to add Shakespeare Under the Stars to my annual summer to-do list.

Bianca Sciessere

Photographer: Nicole Cleary.