All Female Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at its Most Fierce
A collage of provocative images line the floor of the traverse stage. A bedazzled curtain drapes the back wall, amidst glimmering disco balls. The cast are several shots down at Hippolyta’s hen do in the theatre bar. This is, from its very outset, Shakespearean comedy at its most playful.
Brought together by HER Productions, in association with Girl Gang Manchester & Unseemly Women, this latest rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream proudly flaunts its all-female cast. Yet, I’m delighted to say, the cast’s chosen pronouns are one of the least notable things about this production. The casting is flawless, regardless of gender.
As the disco lights rise, we are plunged onto a chaotic dance floor: iPhones out, drinks spilt, and a superbly choreographed fight to ignite the energy that characterises the rest of the show. This production combines comedy, drama and dance in a well-crafted cocktail of expert physicality.
Those within the Athenian plot of rotating love triangles carefully balance honest attraction with measured caricature. Meanwhile, the Mechanicals, so often pantomimic and borderline insufferable, are led masterfully by Alexandra Maxwell as a suitably exasperated Quince. A cleverly-handled thread of “well, we can’t not mention Covid” offers the actors of the play-within-the-play total freedom to explore how to act as if they can’t act. Their laddish misbehaviour and onstage laughter is infectious.
And overlaying this all, the fairy kingdom is featured with a hefty dose of S&M: the creative choice I never knew I had been missing throughout my Shakespearean studies.
Folio purists will be pleased to hear that there are no amendments to the bard’s script… but there are some unexpected insertions (a rather fitting pun perhaps, given the creative direction of the fairy kingdom). With a cast who embody their characters so entirely comes a healthy quantity of ad libbing. Every aside is a welcome addition; it’s real, it’s hilarious, and it’s undeniably Northern.
These actors don’t just bring the words to life; they imbue the script with nuances of untapped humour. Kasey Christian as Puck, in particular, brings unapologetic sarcasm and swagger to the role, complete with a generous handful of ‘fucks’.
But this production certainly doesn’t rely on textual additions alone to bring the drama into the present day. Enter: bold costume design (assless chaps, that’s all I’m saying), dance sequences of sheer genius, and matriarchal magic.
Director, Kate Colgrave Pope, modestly claims to have set the cast free to have fun with their characterisations. But there is clearly a steady creative hand sewing together this wonderfully outrageous retelling. The soundtrack choices alone are worthy of applause: The Weather Girls B2B with The Pussycat Dolls transforms the mismatched lovers into masters of physical comedy.
Della Mars Snug. Pic by Emma Ledwith.
Inclined as I am to cherry pick a few standout performances, I find it near impossible to choose favourites from this ensemble. From Gemskii’s utterly mesmerising performance as Oberon, to Della Mars’ at once hilarious and endearing physical extrapolation of the few lines afforded to Snug the Joiner, everyone who graces the stage does so with the volume turned way up.
Alicia Forde’s Lysander thrusts (quite literally) into the spotlight. Up against Lucy Hilton Jones as Demetrius, these two potential suitors offer a hysterical balance of awkward dorkiness and self-professed “black boy magic”!
The lovesick Helena (Lori Nicholson) is perfectly unhinged; think the overly-attached girlfriend meme, in a fabulous sequin jumpsuit. Her alternate edge comes in heartfelt scenes alongside Hermia - played by Izzy Mckenty - whose emotional honesty and openness sidesteps the trap wherein previous Hermias have fallen into lamenting their first-world problems. But don’t be fooled by her teary eyes: though she be but little, she really is fierce!
Elsewhere, it takes some doing to stand up to the captivating force of this Oberon, but Titania, played by Maz Hedgehog, is up to the challenge. Amongst an entire thesaurus of adjectives, the pair are quite simply sexy as hell.
Karen Henthorn as Bottom. Image by Tarek Slater.
As Bottom, Karen Henthorn is every bit the bellowing lovey that her character aspires to be. Her comedic timing is impeccable as she commands the stage.
Even in the smallest written roles, as Snout, Starvling & Flute, Beth Lily Banks, Laura Harris (who’s also pretty menacing as Egeus) and Oceana Cage-Nzene inject loutish silliness throughout. They blossom forth in the final scenes; in fact, Cage brings a beautifully un-comical close to the Mechanicals’ play, whilst deftly navigating the role of a woman playing a man playing a woman.
So, there we have it, I’ve name-dropped them all. When every production element comes together so exquisitely, I just couldn’t help myself.
I suppose all that’s left to say is: I’ve seen more than my fair share of adaptations of Shakespeare’s Dream and this is, without doubt, the liveliest, sexiest, and laugh-out-loud funniest version I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, from October 6-16th.
Grab your tickets on the Hope Mill Theatre website.
Shout out to HER Productions for offering the first live theatre we enjoyed after lockdown.
And for more from Girl Gang Manchester, take a look at our insider scoop on what to expect at a Girl Gang event.
