A Midsummer Nights Dream - Review!

I had the privilege of being able to attend a performance of “A Midsummer Nights Dream” at the Southwark Playhouse Borough. What an absolutely incredible show! 

Every single actor absolutely encapsulated their role of children, and genuinely had me forgetting that I was watching adults! They were all so expressive and their projection was incredible, particularly as they did not have mics! Every single line was heard with perfect clarity!

Dewi Wykes played Cecil and created such a loveable character that had the entire audience giggling with every line that he delivered. Daisy Ann Fletcher played Nancy and created such a strong and convincing character of the typical bossy child, which was absolutely hilarious. The entire cast was so versatile, being able to switch between characters with ease. Not only this, but also remaining with the childlike nature of their characters, whilst also being able to convey their character in the play. It was so incredibly convincing as you believe that it is these children playing these parts, whilst also being so immersed within the story.

I also adored the use of costuming for the “play”. Every costume that the characters would use were all typical household items, showing how they are using any resource that they can find. This added such a warm touch to the show and highlighted how the children are using whatever they can find to put on this performance.

The story itself followed children wanting to put on a play for their grandmother, in order to achieve iced buns for dinner. The play that they put on is the story of “A Midsummer Nights Dream” . I particularly loved this as it meant that the characters would stop and explain what has just previously happened, or what is about to happen, making the “Shakespearean” language much easier to follow as we anticipated what was going to happen in the following scene. particularly for the younger people in the audience. It was so perfectly explained and I feel that this show is such a great introduction to Shakespeare for anybody!

I also loved that the cast rarely go off stage, they often sit within the audience and watch what is being performed. This really helped the audience to feel as if they are immersed in the room putting on this play, and imagining it from the children’s perspective.

The audience was full of ear to ear smiles throughout the performance. Overall, this show was absolutely phenomenal, I highly recommend catching it if you can!! 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

{gifted invite}