REVIEW:‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society,
Vernon Theatre, Lyndhurst.
FIRMLY situating itself in the disco music and fashions of the mid-70’s, director David Balfour’s colourful staging of Shakespeare’s classic comedy was by turns entertaining and frustrating; entertaining for a number of most inventive performances, but frustrating due to lost lines, too much paraphrasing and poor attention to the verse.
The fairy kingdom was here illuminated by Richard Barnett’s brooding, white-suited, Travolta-style Oberon, at ease with the language, and by Michele Arkle’s Abba-clad Titania, never better than in her amorous scenes with Bottom the Weaver (Bay City Roller clone Vic Milne). Hannah Marks, a well-intentioned, bumptious East End Puck, also made first class use of the text in her role as creator-in-chief of misguided mayhem.
As the lovers, Donna West’s whiney Hermia finally found love in the arms of Jack Barnett’s laid-back Lysander, and Debbie Murray’s flower-power Helena got her man in the shape of Ian Jenkins’ nerdy, uptight Demetrius”.
Ed Howson
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