About the Show

A magical comedy of lovers, mischief, and transformation in an enchanted forest.

When conflict in the fairy kingdom spills into the human world, four young lovers escape into a forest where order quickly dissolves. There, an unsuspecting weaver named Bottom becomes entangled in enchantment, and the mischievous Puck reshapes desire at will. As affections shift and identities blur, misunderstandings multiply before harmony is gradually restored in a dreamlike realm where the natural and supernatural collide.

This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is directed by Atri Banerjee (The Glass Menagerie, Royal Exchange; Julius Caesar, RSC) and features folk-infused music composed by Maimuna Memon (Portia Coughlan, Almeida; The Grapes of Wrath, National Theatre). Staged in an outdoor setting, the production foregrounds the play’s interplay between illusion and reality through live music and ensemble performance.

Critic Reviews (11)

"This isn't the funniest, most coherent or most visually beautiful Dream ever…there's enough to enjoy for an al fresco evening where birdsong and human voices come together in harmony as the sun sets."
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"A dreamy production in its look and sound, but you do not feel like you have quite entered into its enchantments."
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"A lot of colourful ideas, but they've all been swirled together to form a beige slog of a show."
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"There are flashes of invention and strong performances, but Shakespearean enchantment remains frustratingly elusive."
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"Banerjee's take has so much joy, truth and freshness that it solidifies as a Dream to remember, for all the right reasons."
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"Banerjee has drowned all of this in a wash of wholesomeness and uncomplicated joy, which might sound nice but makes for a boring production. They could call it a Midsummer Night's Nap."
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For a previous production

[Dominic Hill] exploits to the full the verdant backdrop of Regent’s Park, catapulting the audience into a shape-shifting, tenebrous otherworld.
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For a previous production

[This] production is a delectably dark and gothic-tinged take on Shakespeare’s comedy. The cast are uniformly excellent … By switching dreams for nightmares, Hill creates a bewitching spectacle.
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