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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Reviewed
The Chapterhouse Theatre Company’s hugely successful A Midsummer Night’s Dream is finally on tour again and will be shown all across the country running from June 10th to August 30th. The Crescent Theatres dedication to outdoor theatre is truly remarkable and with several plays being toured this summer the public just can’t get enough.
The performance truly lived up to its dreamy name with Director Paul Wetherby’s take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream being not only beautiful, but also laugh out loud funny and incredibly well acted. The stage was alive with character, wit and song. With frolicking fairies, boisterous work men and the potency of young love, it is a wonderful way to spend a night under the stars. With a superb cast and picturesque setting the Chapterhouse Theatre Company managed to achieve the best out of outdoor theatre. The performance at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens was the perfect back drop to the William Shakespeare romantic comedy with its superbly magical atmosphere.
Martin McCreadio’s portrayal of Puck was perfect, his body language was incredibly well thought out as every slight movement was planned and executed perfectly. He truly was a wonderfully mischievous nymph. Such attention to detail is rarely seen and I can happily admit that it was the best rendition of Puck I have ever seen.
Adam Diggle was yet another incredible asset to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, his performance of several characters including Bottom was incredibly funny,with nearly every moment of incredible comic timing coming from his fantastic acting skills and wonderful portrayal of Bottom. The performance of the night though goes out to The Botanical Gardens resident Peacock whose voice projection was second to none. With comic timing and a love of loud screeches he actively participated with the actors, which although accidental was comical none the less and added to the natural, magical atmosphere. The actors managed to perform incredibly well despite the noisy disruption and even applauded the Peacocks performance at the end of the show. Although I must admit that I can’t imagine they would have been so forgiving if it hadn’t been a comedy.
You can truly imagine that such a magical tale as A Midsummer Night’s Dream would take place in the beautiful Botanical Gardens. As I was sat on my little camping chair I couldn’t help but expect a woodland fairy to be sat behind me. One could almost imagine that they slipped into a beautiful dream.
The cast and producer did the William Shakespeare play justice and perfected the art of comedy with a superb cast and magical surroundings. You are transported into Shakespeare’s magical world in a play that is both incredibly funny and a timeless classic. The atmosphere was buzzing with happy spectators and a greatful cast. Speaking to Miles Eagling who performed several amazing roles within the play he said that, “It’s a joy to do such a show in the open air, in front of a warm and enthusiastic audience.” I cannot give the cast enough praise, I whole heartedly urge you to go and see the amazing A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by the Chapterhouse Theatre Company this summer.
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