Cupid Is A Knavish Lad, Thus To Make Poor Females Mad

Gwendoline Christie as Titania
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/_bridgetheatre/

Back to the cinema for a bit of Shakespeare! Following on from a summer season at the Bridge Theatre, NT Live broadcast their version of A Midsummer Night's Dream last Thursday - this had in fact been one on my potential list for the summer, but of course you cannot see everything. And when I realised they were screening it, I decided to save it until then (and spend my money towards my Europe trip instead).

The Bridge Theatre is one of the newest theatres on London's South Bank, set in the round and its stalls work like a concert arena pit, with the stage moving up and down, with the characters moving around from piece to piece.
Right off the bat before I forget, this has now become on my list of theatres to visit, as the atmosphere in that pit most be awesome!!

OK, on to lovers, players and fairies.

The last version of the play I'd seen was the BBC version a few years ago to celebrate 400 years since Shakespeare's death. I'd imagine you know the story, but just in case, it follows 4 Athenian lovers, a group of actors rehearsing a play for Theseus' upcoming wedding, and the arguing Fairy King and Queen; all of whom get stuck in the woods, and magical antics ensue. That is the best way I can explain the bonkers plot of this play :P

The team behind this production is Nicholas Hytner as Director, Bunny Christie (who won an Olivier this year for Company) as Production Designer and Arlene Phillips as Movement Director. They've created some very brave and interesting choices on how they've interpreted this story, discussing gender roles, sexuality and more.

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/_bridgetheatre/

Opening in Athens, there's clear references to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale, with bleak tones, women wearing traditional headscarves, and psalms being sung before the main play started with men and women were standing separately, emphasising conservative values. Theseus' bride Hippolyta was even seen in a glass cage in the opening scenes.

Contrasting to the colourful and trapeze of the forest, beds stand in for trees. And this is where the biggest change of all comes in; a lot of Oberon and Titania's lines are switched.... It is Titania who Puck serves.... It is Titania who bewitches Oberon.... And it is OBERON who subsequently falls for changed and translated Bottom - NOT TITANIA!!

In the interval, we saw an interview with Hytner, who wanted to explore this notion of the man humiliating his wife by making her fall in love with an ass; and with it being 2019, exploring the roles perhaps being reversed. It was perhaps not "revolutionary" as the gender-swap in Company, but I think it did work in this case. As Oberon and Titania also played Theseus and Hippolyta, it seemed apt for a role-reversal, almost as if Hippolyta was "educating" her husband to be.

Onto the cast, whose big star was Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones and Star Wars fame (in fact, Brienne was one of my faves on GoT!!) as Titania/Hippolyta - and for this Titania, it worked well for an actress who was known for playing a strong warrior woman to be the one in control rather than her partner (played by Oliver Chris), gleefully giddy on the trapeze upon hearing Oberon's fate.

Hammad Animashaun as Bottom
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/_bridgetheatre/

As Titania's partner in crime, I have a message for David Moorst - though traditionally played by a man, thank you for automatically adding Puck to the list of parts I want to play. Incredibly cheeky, he's one of those characters who just loves playing pranks and being a complete monkey. Moorst played him brilliantly; plus blasting at Londeners who wouldn't let him pass in his thick Northern accent was pure comedy gold!

The star though for me, even above Moosrt and Christie, was Hammad Animashaun (The Producers) as Bottom. Every moment he was on screen (even the play scene at the end that does admittedly drag on a bit) was a joy to watch! Funny and sincere, I couldn't fault it. He often had me in stitches. Considering this is the 2nd time THIS YEAR I have pulled out his performance, he is 100% one to watch.

I will say that with the take they took, this is not your Grandma's Midsummer Night. They make the switch I mentioned; they throw in modern speech here and there (I never I thought I would hear LOL in Shakespeare) (though not too much); they break the 4th wall a fair bit especially with the audience in the pit; the other fairies are trapeze artists covered in festival glitter; they blast out Beyoncé's Love On Top whilst Oberon and Bottom "get to know each other".

Having said that though, if they hold a repeat screening or play this production elsewhere, and if you want to see Midsummer with a difference then this is worth checking out.