A Midsummer Night’s Dream becomes true

June 8, 2016
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Theseus: […] Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

Hermia: So is Lysander.

Theseus: In himself he is;

But in this kind, wanting your father’s voice,

The other must be held the worthier.

Hermia: I would my father look’d but with my eyes.

Since I was 15 years old, I’ve been fascinated by the play A Midsummer Night’s dream.

Shakespeare interconnected the four scenarios brilliantly. The wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta with the visit of the king and queen of the fairies to the forest. As well as the adventures of the lovers Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, and the adventures of a group of amateur actors.

I wasn’t let down by the performance last Thursday at the Globe Theatre! I would say that it is a little bit of a ground-shaker indeed… but Emma Rice’s new production is just awesome!

The Globe

First of all, the Globe Theatre really makes you feel like you are back in the 16th Century.

Nobody knows for sure how the first Globe looked like in 1599. However, the circular reconstruction initiated by Sam Wanamaker (American actor, director and producer) in 1949, made this third Globe as accurate as possible. It was officially open 19 years ago, and it is built very close to the site of the old Globe, just one street closer to the river. You can choose a 10-minute walk from London Bridge or Southwark stations to get there.

Apparently, the builders of the theatre even used green oak, which is the kind of wood that was used in the old Theatre. 🙂

Everything was great, since the moment I arrived there. The Foyer Cafe Bar had delicious hot chocolate and beautiful cakes. What a treat! All the staff were lovely and very helpful! However, I was a bit concerned that it would rain, since umbrellas are not allowed to be open. But even though it was cloudy, the weather was just perfect! I just got a bit wet because of Puck’s water pistol, but no rain at all. 🙂

The performance

The performance includes beautiful songs, a lot of singing (including Mr. Bombastic, trust me!), and quite a lot of naughtiness!

Everyone could see that Emma Rice wanted to address issues involving diversity and gender imbalance on stage. Her Helena was actually Helenus, who is played by Ankur Bahl. He is extremely engaging, amusing, and able of shifting from intense passion to aggression over and over again. His dance of Beyonce’s Single Ladies with Hermia is memorable. It just happens when Hermia tells him that Lysander and her are going to escape. She insinuates that they are getting married and voilà! the dance starts. To be honest, it was a bit shocking at the beginning. Perhaps because it was a modern song in a Shakespeare’s play… But after all, everyone ended up laughing.

Her Puck also interacted a lot with the audience. She exchanged food with those close to the stage, and made a lot of use of her yellow water pistol. Be prepared to be wet!

Titania and Hippolyta are greatly played by Meow Meow, of who you can expect loads and loads of irreverence and enthusiasm. She is very impressive performing with Zubin Varla. He plays Oberon and Theseus.

Furthermore, the group of “amateur actors” are also some of the Globe’s employees! They started the production talking to the audience about health and safety. They also asked to switch off the phones and to refrain from copulating in the yard! I could never have guessed that they would perform Pyramus and Thisbe for Theseus’ wedding at the end. I could not stop laughing! It was absolutely hilarious!

What a wonderful time I had there! Extremely joyful.