Sorcha Corcoran’s simple set was of a textured pink dance floor, a silvery back-curtain, and two columns of lights that effectively dazzled the audience’s eyes every time a spell was cast. Zoey Barnes had plainly enjoyed herself with the costumes: a wide range of interesting interpretations for every character, of which Oberon’s David Bowie in kink look, Titania’s Beyonce slash dominatrix outfit, and Bottom’s black leather mask with tall ears were particular favourites of this reviewer. Tom Sutcliffe’s lighting design kept us in artificial neon lights and vibrancy. Eliyana Evans’ sound design pumped out every club classic going, which, as the cast frequently broke into dance routines to further the action, were an integral part of the staging.
It was a very unusual cast. It wasn’t just female actors playing male characters: it was female actors absolutely relishing playing male characters, and doing it far better than many male actors have performed these roles. There was a definite drag king element, but even the Mechanicals, more conventionally staged as a group of flannel-shirted Northern boys, brought an extra element to their performances – maybe, from the female perspective, there’s simply more to find funny!
Gemskii absolutely rocked it as Oberon / Theseus. Her elegant presence and wicked wit were the core of the production. Maz Hedgehog was a strong presence as Titania / Hippolyta, and I loved how these two had BDSM crops instead of wands, which got waved around with a lot of thunderclaps whenever things got heated. Kasey Christan was a morose-looking Puck in a hoodie and backpack, often found inhaling helium balloons to make her voice squeaky and trying to stay out of trouble.
Izzy McKenty sparkled as Hermia, twirling her fur coat and heeled sandals in true fury when needed. Lori Nicholson, bolstered with too many glasses of wine, was every nightclub wallflower that’s lived as Helena. Alicia Forde shambled around in young man gawkiness as Lysander, then exploded into a hilariously confident courtship dance when Lysander had received the love potion. Lucy Hilton Jones lounged around sleazily as Demetrius, and answered with an equally hilarious courtship dance fuelled on love potion too.
Karen Henthorn’s snap-sure sense of comic timing carried every scene that involved Bottom. Oceania Cage bounded around in adolescent clumsiness as Flute. Beth Lily Banks was sweetly sensitive and bearded as Snout. Della Mars seized every comic moment that was offered as the rather slow Snug. Laura Harris was warm, engaging and guitar-playing as Starvling; and also doubled with firm assuredness as Hermia’s father Egeus. Alexandra Maxwell tensely twitched with a script in the corner as the harried director Quince.
Kate Colgrave Pope is a very, very clever director. There were some liberties with the script – Shakespeare had thoughtlessly not included Northern swear words and Covid-19 jokes – but it all worked, and the text never suffered. The detail of every actor’s performance from moment to moment was minute. The Canal Street world was raucously and sexily invoked. And it was incredibly funny.
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