Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

Chaotic, if good-natured, muddle: Hytner’s Midsummer Night’s Dream reviewed

Plus: an overlooked Edwardian drama that is gripping on many levels from the Finborough Theatre

Changing of the Bard: Gwendoline Christie as Titania. Credit: Manuel Harlan 
issue 04 July 2020

Nicholas Hytner’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens in a world of puritanical austerity. The cast wear sombre black costumes and Oliver Chris, with menacing swagger, brings a note of palpable sadism to the role of Theseus. Then things relax as the ‘mechanicals’ in modern boiler suits prepare to rehearse the play.

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