For the first time in recent memory and the second time in its history, Stafford Festival Shakespeare moves indoors. With twinkly lit trees, a variety of plants, meters of ivy and vinyl coverings, the Gatehouse brings a sense of the outdoors to its 147 year old building.
Director Sean Turner is no stranger to comedy, working with Mischief Theatre for many years, and that shows in the production. The humour of the piece is used throughout bringing a sense of lighthearted, fun throughout, without it empowering the play. Among the humour, the harrowing jerordy of Hermia’s potential death if she does not sacrifice her love to enter an arranged marriage is given the right level of attention to bind the production together.
The first act runs much longer than the second. It’s understandable why that as it means each act can then climax with a near on farcical conclusion that will undoubtedly leave you with a sense of joy. Whether it’s the four lovers getting in a tangle thanks to some love potion or the play by the mechanicals that definitely has a couple of hat tilts to The Play That Goes Wrong; both scenes are full of wit, humour and a high energy performance by the company.
The production is set in 1930s Greece, with the City of Athens transported into an idyllic costal island. The set by Anna Phillips allows for a magical and clever transformation from the bustling streets of Athens where law, order and forced marriage awaits, to a mythical green forest, complete with water feature where love blossoms and fairies cause chaos. Completing the set are costumes from Jida Akil, who creates a particularly stunning pink and white goddess-esquae dress for Fairy Queen Titania. The bold colours of the Fairies juxtapose that of the natural tones of the city folk of Athens.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is very much an ensemble piece, and with a strong cast of 17 it’s a wonder how they fit on the compact Gatehouse stage, but they do. Milly Zero’s fierce and fiery Hermia juxtaposes wonderfully with Noa Nikita Bleeker’s exgerated and loveswept Helena. Richard Logun’s Lysanda is shy and sincere while James Bradwell’s Demetrius is slightly arrogant and bullish.
It was an inspired choice to partner up Kerry Ellis with West End star Dan Burton. Both Burton and Ellis present the quarrelling King and Queen of the Fairies with ferciousness and a strong chemistry. Ellis makes her Shakespeare debut as a Titania. Ellis’ voice echoes around the theatre and portrays well the headstrong Fairy Queen while performing equally well, if not more so, when struck by magic, Titania is infatuated with Bottom, who is now half man, half donkey.
However, it’s Will Taylor who steals the show as the lovable mischievous Puck. From the getgo, with a touch of shyness and a twinkle in his eye, Taylor has the audience in the palm of his end. Doubling up as both Philosthrate and Puck allows Taylor to use his charm and charisma to lead the show as a master of ceremonies, residing over proceedings, trying to become the strong leader that he sees Oberon as.
Complete with beautiful music by Stamatis Seraphim, some simple yet effective tricks with jumping lights and even a spark of pyrotechnics, this well-rounded, easy to watch production will have you leaving with a smile. It’s a production that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and by doing so, it creates some really unique, fun moments to enjoy with an added touch of peril too.
| Value for Money Comments: |
| A large company of performers put on a solid show with all tickets sold at £35 |
🎁This production was gifted in exchange for a fair and balanced review 🎁
The Theatre Twittic 
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