A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a very fitting choice for the in-house directing debut of Joe Murphy, the Rep’s new artistic director.
As Shakespeare’s most loved comedy it has undergone all manner of staging and interpretation over the years, from the purist to the bizarre – so what better way to see how innovative Murphy intends to be in his creative process? Murphy is also sharing the director’s chair with his also new deputy, Madeleine Kludje.
There’s plenty of local talent in the cast including actors who trained at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham University and from the Rep’s own youth theatre. There’s also a broad ethnic and cultural mix in the casting and an unashamed nailing of queer colours to the production promo mast. To me, it all boded well for a welcome return to Birmingham pride at the Rep in every sense.
Carl Davie’s simple set design of towering columns combined with Andy Pike’s lighting them up in vivid neon shouted party, party, party! All up for some shenanigan’s at a chic nightclub. Davie’s lush costumes were a stand out, feast for the eyes and dressing the young bloods in contemporary school uniforms a clever touch.
The show opens by using Shakespeare’s own words as a warning that we are in danger of losing our enchanted forests where dreams happen, to climate change. After this sobering soliloquy, we are greeted by Adam Carver – aka top local drag artist Fatt Butcher. They introduce themselves as Puck as in ‘What the Puck’. Carver is charismatic; very clever and inclusive – a plucky Puck with a great singing voice to boot.
From here on we get gender switching, queer romances and wonderfully apt pop music. Young buck Lysander becomes schoolgirl Lysandra with a crush on Hermia and Puck works for Queen Titania not King Oberon.
Ellena Vincent is a confident no-nonsense Fairy Queen as Titania and can also raise the roof with her vocals whilst Haydn Oakley makes a more Mr nice guy than’ I’m the King’ Oberon.
Charlotte Wallis, Evie Ward-Drummond, Isabel Adomakoh Young and Qasim Mahmood play the youngsters, Helena, Lysandra, Hermia and Demetrius. They make for a zany bunch that deliver some memorable moments with their boisterous antics –immaturity can be enchanting, petulance delightful and screaming hilarious to hooked-in observers.
As to the mechanicals, Omar Malik gives us a joyous buffoon of a Bottom, James Tanton shines as Snug and Hannah McPake with her exemplary timing was the ace amongst a talented pack.
This Dream is a triumph for Murphy, Kludje and the Rep, achieving its all- inclusive mission in every sense. It’s a fast bouncy, flamboyant and easy watch, which will both appeal to first timers and amuse Dream regulars. As for Murphy and Kludje’s co-directing Rep debut – it looks like we have some exciting theatre to look forward to.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at the Birmingham Rep until May 24. Click here for times, tickets and more information.
