A Midsummer Night's Dream

This is a kind of fantastical story where fairies overthrow neo-nazis (and you know what? Good for them), but it's not the play as Shakespeare wrote it, though it does make copious use of his language in new contexts that some people might find interesting.

If you're looking for something that's going to warm your heart and make you cheer for cast of racially-diverse, queer-coded good guys, this might do it for you. If you want to watch A Midsummer's Night Dream, you've got to look elsewhere.

The whole time I was thinking about the poor students who will put this on instead of reading the play and then give their English teachers aneurysms when they recount plot events.

This is a BBC-imagined modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic, with a diverse and stellar cast, intense presentation, a compelling score, fantastic costume design and energy at every turn. And the 90-minute running time moves the story along quickly! Check it out.

Superficially David Kerr's production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM resembles Shakespeare reinterpreted for DR. WHO aficionados. This is to be expected, given that Russell T. Davies has adapted the text. Special effects abound: the fairies disappear in puffs of smoke, Puck (Hiran Abeysekera) moves around the forest as a flash of light, while the camera pans rapidly over urban and rural landscapes, accompanied by heavenly choirs on the soundtrack (music by Murray Gold). This is the world of science fiction, where quite literally anything can happen.

Yet beneath the colorful surface there lurks a highly original interpretation of the text. Duke Theseus (John Hannah) is a despot, ruling a fascist state festooned with Nazi-type symbols and policed by guards with faces obscured by military helmets. He keeps Hippolyta (Eleanor Matsuura) prisoner; he has her wheeled into his court tied to a cart, her face encased in a metal helmet preventing her from speaking. Egeus (Colin McFarlane) is equally despotic; if people do not submit to his will, then he will have them suitably dealt with.

Life in the forest seems equally restrictive, as Oberon (Nonso Anozie) fight with Titania (Maxine Peake), and enlists Puck into his service to ensure that she suffers as much indignity as possible. The two male characters are fond of cackling evilly to each other as they contemplate the future success of their schemes.

The only characters who appear to act naturally are the Rude Mechanicals. Led by an earnest Quince (Elaine Paige), they gather at the local pub to prepare for performing "Pyramus and Thisbe." Among a crowd of sociable regulars, they distribute the parts, much to Bottom's (Matt Lucas's) delight. As they leave the pub, the Rude Mechanicals embrace the locals, thereby emphasizing that human feeling does survive in Theseus's world, even if it is only evident among the poorest members of society.

In the production's second movement, taking place in the forest, director Kerr and adapter Davies emphasize the play's transformative potential. The four lovers come to understand their depth of feeling for one another; Oberon reconciles himself to Titania; while Bottom remembers little about his experience of being transformed into an ass, but nonetheless wakes up with a renewed zest for life. The action unfolds in a golden, almost nostalgic orange glow that illuminates the trees and enables the characters to see one another for what they are.

The action shifts back to Theseus's court, where the Duke's despotic rule continues unchecked. As he watches the performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe," he draws red crosses over the photographs of the Mechanicals on his IPad, suggesting that he will have them disposed of as soon as possible. No one else laughs at the performance; they all look fearfully as Theseus to see his reactions.

The atmosphere soon changes, however, as Bottom-as-Pyramus enacts his death scene. Theseus bursts out laughing, clutches his heart and totters out of the room; on the IPad we witness his eventual demise. As soon as he leaves, everyone is free to act according to their inclinations; they welcome the performance, and give the Mechanicals a standing ovation. Theseus has quite literally died laughing, proving beyond doubt that despotism cannot suppress our natural inclinations.

The production ends with a colorful dancing sequence. Hippolyta is released from her chains, and it turns out that she is a fairy. Both she and Titania sprout wings and fly up to the ceiling. On this view it seems that Oberon's decision to visit Theseus's court was prompted by the desire to rescue one of his own kind.

As the entire company perform, Titania winks at Bottom, and Bottom starts, as if realizing just what happened during the previous night. Likewise Puck glances at the four lovers, reminding them of the control he once exercised over their lives. Through this strategy Kerr makes it clear that the "midsummer night's dream" was not just something playful, but taught the characters something about themselves and their deepest desires.

This MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM was one of the best interpretations of the play I have seen in recent years. All credit to Davies for shaping such a competent script, which was brilliantly performed and directed by a top-notch group of creative personnel.

I'm baffled. I could swear I've read the play and have seen several performances, but this movie has me questioning everything. There are characters I don't remember, and lines I do remember were missing. And what about the opening scene?!? Did George Orwell rewrite this?

The actors were all superb and I would love to have seen them in A Midsummer Nights Dream, but I don't know what the hell this thing was. At least the special effects were interesting?

I don't know, it starts as a Nazi fever dream, then it toys with the idea of being the play itself, then turns into the musical adaptation of a Sonnet. Honestly if not for Puck's famous soliloquy asking us not to take offense I would be offended.

Russell T Davies certainly has taken inspiration from Baz Luhrmann and given Shakespeare a vigorous shake up and update.

In the tyrannical court of Athens which is mocked up with Nazi type regalia, dictator Theseus plans his wedding to Hippolyta, who is trussed just like Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Meanwhile young Hermia is sentenced to death by her own father as she refuses to marry Demetrius but becomes enchanted with the Harry Potter like Lysander. Meanwhile her friend Helena pines for Demetrius who ignores her. In the forest they fall to mischievous behaviour by the fairies.

In the town an amateur theatre group make plans to rehearse a play for the court but Bottom himself becomes transformed to an ass and finds that the fairy Titania has fallen for him thanks to spells woven by the spurned Oberon and aided by Puck.

RTD reunited with the Doctor Who production team for technical, visual and special effects and composer Murray Gold who brings bombastic music to accompany the imagery. There are some nice touches of RTD's humour. The patrons of the local inn are watching 'The Comedy of Errors' on television which is actually 'You've been Framed.'

Once we enter the forest, it becomes a bit trippy and the pared down text works a treat. I read this play at a school and it was rather unfathomable but here the way RTD has presented it on screen it really works.

It all ends with a bit of a sing song from Bernard Cribbins. What more can you want.