Footsbarn A Midsummer Night's Dream

Footsbarn A Midsummer Night's Dream

27 November, 2008
by: Lowri

The fact that we are nestled deep inside a mulled wine scented big top in Victoria Park invests even more magic into the experience of attending this particular production of Shakespeare's 'Dream'. Footsbarn are a travelling theatre troupe - back in London for the first time in 17 years with their show tonight. They get their name from their first rehearsal space – a barn owned by the Foot family – where they started almost four decades ago.

The action begins with a plucky young Hermia being doted on by a blonde, ringleted, decidedly middle-aged Lysander. There is something of the pantomime dame about him and arch rival Demetrius – both heavily rouged and decadently extrovert. Some of the cast are also recognizably clowns – particularly Puck and Bottom, while Akemi Yamauchi’s Titania is a fairly lithe and gymnastic fairy queen.

The set is a delight. A giant tree provides the centre for the action and Titania’s motley crew are a gang of munchkins, with ethereal children of the forest costumes and incredible masks all perpetually giggling amidst the toadstools. Highlight’s include an ass-headed Bottom’s being dragged into a giant flower by a horny, giggling (and virtually indecipherable) Titania.

The three musicians who accompany proceedings are amazing – and much is made of their additions by the clownish rehearsing actors, headed up by an incredibly buck toothed Bottom (who also doubles up as the growling Lysander).

Footsbarn use Shakespeare's multi-levelled comedy to great effect. The audience tonight is approximately half children – and they’re delighted by the fairy tale costumes and slapstick humour – particularly that of Bottom and his motley crew of clowns. In so rustic a setting, it's easy to imagine this play being performed by a skeleton cast of men to a rauccous crowd at the time of writing.

The show tonight is stolen by Muriel Piquart's Helena – an unflinching performance of the girl who is desired by no one but around whose stillness the rest of the play revolves. Magical.

Lowri