Image by Lisa Tomasetti.
Shakespeare’s world of magic realism conveyed in his comedic classic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is reinterpreted as a fast-paced, postmodern performance in Bell Shakespeare’s production of The Dream.
Shakespeare’s Athenian farce is admittedly one of his most often performed plays. The combination of forest fairies, unrequited love and hapless troubadours has been a repeated crowd pleaser, appealing universally to young and old audiences alike. With a hilarious plot involving a love potion mix up and a bewitching donkey’s head, the play is the perfect performance for school students. So began, the latest incarnation of the play affectionately known in thespian circles as The Dream. After a successful Sydney run, the production has been rolled out to Canberra debuting at The Playhouse on 29 August. Directed by Peter Evans, The Dream is a condensed 90 minute concoction involving only eight actors mostly playing multiple parts.
The audience enters the theatre to see Puck sleeping peacefully in the foreground. The industrial setting is a departure from the usual forest scenes in which A Midsummer Night’s Dream is usually crafted. Desks, chairs and tables litter the stage becoming part of the scenery and contributing to the minimalist feel of the piece. The rear of the stage features a collage of wood pilings through which stage lights are eerily illuminated evoking the dream sequences of the play. Although this feature initially does not strike one as giving the feel of a forest, the way in which the characters scramble in and out of the crannies in the structure, eventually makes it an effective piece of stagecraft.
The costumes of the characters are as incongruous as the setting, with Lysander dressed in a suit and tie for much of the performance while Helena bounces around in a summer dress. With the characters changing roles more often than their costumes, it is sometimes difficult to ascertain who the appropriate character is at the time. Fortunately, the skill of the performers in representing their different roles alleviates the problem of character confusion. Ray Chong Nee’s representations as the Athenian and Fairy Kings, Theseus and Oberon, and Flute, the ill-fated lover in the play performed by the acting troupe is a standout performance. He drifts effortlessly between commanding the presence of a stern, commanding ruler to providing comic relief by dressing in Elizabethan drag to sacrifice himself for his lover. Nikki Shiels as the desperate, forlorn Helena / moonlight is beguiling as the confused conqueror of not only Lysander’s but eventually Demetrius’ attentions. The only actor not to assume multiple roles is Julie Forsyth who, clad in a gnomelike, black beanie, plays the mischievous Puck. Making the role her own, Forsyth’s interpretation departs from the usual highly strung manifestation of the character to put a much more sedate touch on Puck with no less comedic effect.
Bell Shakespeare’s latest offering is sure to be the crowd pleaser that Canberra audiences have come to expect from the trail blazing theatre company. As such a commonly played piece, it is hard to depart from the usual conceptions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as being portrayed in an elven wonderland replete with the ancient Grecian garbs that are such an essential part of the storyline. However, The Dream is Shakespeare in Bell Shakespeare style as made evident by the contemporary presentation. The usual interpretative quirks are present; whether it be Puck squeezing flower juice in Lysander’s eyes or Hermia lamenting her dwarfishness in comparison to Helena, the company always finds a way to reinvent Shakespeare as their own. No less so with this latest adaptation which takes a thoroughly modern approach to the usual period piece.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The Dream
By William Shakespeare
Director Peter Evans
Designer Teresa Negroponte
Lighting Designer Rachel Burke
Sound Designer Caitlin Porter
Movement Director Nigel Poulton
Dramaturg James Evans
Cast: Ray Chong Nee, Janine Watson, Nikki Shiels, Johnny Carr, Lucy Honigman, Gareth Reeves, Richard Piper, Julie Forsyth
www.bellshakespeare.com.au
Canberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse
28 August – 13 September
Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse
18 September – 4 October
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, IMB Theatre, Wollongong
8–11 October
