I was invited by the newly opened Shakespeare North Playhouse to review their first Shakespeare production on their Cockpit Stage, and what a theatre it is! It is quite possibly one of the most stunning venues I have visited and is the only timber built, 17th century style “Cockpit” theatre outside the capital. With a collection of surprisingly comfortable benches, the theatre has been configured in-the-round for this staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
This production is brought to the stage by Shakespeare North Playhouse, Not Too Tame and Northern Stage and is anything but your typical version of this Shakespearian comedy. Having put casting calls out across the country, we are treated to an array of regional accents. This does well in helping represent both where the production will play (Prescot & Newcastle) and beyond.
It would be impossible to fully review this without spoilers. Spoiler free; this is an innovative, modern and brave production. Although it would definitely be of benefit to know the story already, those who don’t will still enjoy this solid 4-star production. If Shakespeare had been born in modern times, this is how I imagine he would have staged it. This production makes Shakespeare relevant, accessible and a joy to watch regardless social status. By that I mean often Shakespeare can often be seen as reserved for a more ‘high-brow audience’, but this production proves that Shakespeare is for everyone! Here concludes the spoiler free section.
As audience members waited patiently for the doors to open there were various announcements regarding delays, assuring us there ‘would still be a show tonight’. One announcement included a man snatching the microphone off someone else, as HE wanted to be the one to make the announcement. At one point a security guard ran past screaming. When the auditorium doors finally opened, the audience realised that this chaos was in fact part of the show. Performers walked around the stage angrily, clearly unhappy with the stage manager. One even asked someone in the front row for the time, exclaiming that they should have started by now! Absolute genius, this production rewrites the book on immersive theatre, making it truly effective by not throwing it knowingly in your face.
The play is a perfect balance of the original Shakespearian material and hilarious interjection of more modern dialogue, as they scramble to put on a show despite alleged cast sickness. This means various actors posing as front of house staff, security and a stage manager are thrown into the mix to put on the performance. This show within a show is what makes this production shine, whilst making it more relatable and accessible to modern diverse audiences. And diverse it is, with Deaf actor William Grin using British Sign Language in one of the lead roles (Lysander). This is done so well and sets the gold standard for inclusivity in theatre. It would have been much easier to have cast a Deaf performer in a smaller role, but to do so for the role of Lysander was an inspired move that paid off. Another character highlight were the fairies, who moved around the stage with creepy elegance, injecting a darker tone to the, at times, bonkers show.
The use of music was yet another bold choice in a show that took countless risks. Perhaps the finest use of this was with ‘I Go to Sleep’ performed by Louise Haggerty (Puck). Less haunting but very entertaining were inclusions of music by P!NK, 50 Cent & Lizzo. However, you will have to see the show to see how they have managed to merge the 21st century with Shakespeare's classic comedy, 417 years after its premiere!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream remains at the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot until 22nd October before moving on to Northern Stage in Newcastle. An absolutely chaotic production, in the best possible way!
Booking Info
Shakespeare North Playhouse - until 22nd October
Phone: 03003034204
Northern Stage - 29th October-12th November
Booking Line: 0191 230 515
Photo © Patch Dolan Photography