A Midsummer Night's Dream review: Gwendoline Christie rules in irreverent comedy at the Bridge Theatre

1/14
Henry Hitchings12 June 2019

Nicholas Hytner’s promenade production of Julius Caesar was the hit of last year’s programme at this newish Tower Bridge venue. Now he repeats the formula, with an inventive staging of Shakespeare's slippery comedy. Poking fun at the vogue for immersive theatre while also embracing the genre’s potential for frenetic playfulness and immediacy, it’s funny, sexy and romantic.

At the outset we’re left in no doubt that its setting, Athens, is an austere place. Gwendoline Christie is Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and she’s trapped inside a glass case ⁠— the prisoner of a very stern Theseus. There are shades of The Handmaid’s Tale, and the mood is sober.

But then David Moorst’s acrobatic and extravagantly camp Puck uncorks his magic potion. We’re propelled into a realm of fairies and fantasy ⁠— conjured up in unapologetically crowd-pleasing style, with Arlene Phillips as movement director and a soundtrack that includes Beyoncé and Dizzee Rascal.

In a reversal of convention, it’s Oliver Chris’s Oberon rather than his wife Titania who falls for Bottom, the weaver who’s ingloriously crowned with an ass’s head. The result is a vision of transgressive passion, realised with technical wizardry. Lovers tumble in and out of beds that rise from the floor, actors turn somersaults on silk swings, and stage crew whoosh scenery through the audience.

In a fine ensemble, Kit Young impresses as a guitar-strumming Lysander and Isis Hainsworth makes a fiery, defiant Hermia. But the pick of the bunch is Hammed Animashaun, a master of big-hearted comic nonsense as Bottom.

There are some overblown moments, yet this irreverent interpretation has the atmosphere of a party. It’s best experienced as a groundling in the theatre’s pit, where the sense of mischief spreads like a giant smile.

Until Aug 31 (0333 320 0051, bridgetheatre.co.uk)

Latest theatre reviews

1/50

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in