Naima Khan reviews Peter Halls long awaited production of the Shakespearean classic starring Judi Dench.
Of course you’d expect the most striking thing about this play to be Judi Dench in all her glory as Queen Titania. But surprisingly it’s the relentless comedy from the supporting cast that leaves the most enduring impression.
Naturally you can’t take your eyes of the Dame when she is on stage. So whilst the rest of the cast are getting up to no good, director Peter Hall places her lying graciously away from the audience under a spell-induced sleep before she wakes to fall in love with the donkey-man Bottom.
Rather than capturing Shakespeare's lascivious, sprightly Queen Titania, Hall has summoned the elegance of Queen Elizabeth I, surrounded by her courtiers and quarrelling stubbornly with the fairy King Oberon. And it's here, during her impassioned speeches about the changes of the season, bestowing wisdom and falling gleefully in love with Bottom, that Dench is at her best. Her infatuation radiates and her "I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again” clings to her audience.
Elizabeth Ruby's set and costume are carefully constructed and though they appear flounce-free, some clever lighting, creepy trees and well-worn tunics are brilliantly effective. The twinkling fairy-lights of the forest enchant, and the tall pillars of the palace of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and his fiancée Hippolyta, are grand and dignified.
The group of labourers-cum-amateur actors, whose crafts are all important to their production of Pyramus and Thisbe for Theseus' wedding, are the comic force of this production. Oliver Chris (Green Wing, The IT Crowd, Rain Man) plays a dauntless, endearing Bottom with an astute perception for physical humour and comic timing. Each of this motley troupe have their moment, and succeed in making the crowd grin if not roar at their antics.
The Athenians of the production are all played well but it's Rachel Stirling's (The Priory, Uncle Vanya) jaded, self-loathing Helena that stands out. Her utter disbelief at having won the affections of both the unapologetic Lysander and the dashing Demetrius implore the audience to rally round her. Other notable performances come from Susan Salmon (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Much Ado About Nothing) whose eloquent Hippolyta makes you wish there was more of her in the play. Reece Ritchie's (Cell Sell, Prince of Persia) sprightly, mischievous Puck is the embodiment of much of the show's sparkling energy, and Charles Edward's (The 39 Steps, Mistresses) Oberon is both charming and ominous as he lurks in the forest watching the mortals.
The salute to the language and the investment in the emotion in this production are the reason it succeeds. There could have been more magic and sparkle but Hall seems to have favoured elegance and simplicity in this ode to his long-standing artistic partnership with Judi Dench and tribute to the Rose Theatre. This is a pristine production with compelling acting and classic Shakespearean comedy, played with twenty-first century gumption.
Photo Credit: Nobby Clark
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