A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Rep, Birmingham | 29 April 2026 | until 24 May 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ David Gray & Paul Gray

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The Rep, Birmingham | 29 April 2026, until 24 May 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ David Gray & Paul Gray

“A dream of A Dream.  Shakespeare bigged-up but not dumbed-down.”

This is a very imaginative and barrier-pushing production of Shakespeare’s evergreen comedy. Lots of ideas have been thrown at it.  Some don’t work, but most do.

As an example of the former, there is a framing device which places the play in a geopolitical environmental context. This uses Titania’s ‘There are these forgeries of jealousy’ speech from Act II scene 1 to top and tale the narrative and make the play a metaphor for what happens when humanity and nature are at odds. It is too perfunctory to nudge the play into being something it is not.

On the other hand, decisions to bend sexuality - making Lysandra a young woman and having Oberon fall head over heels with the asinine Bottom - do work. They are dealt with so easily that they barely register as an alteration to the play. And they add an interesting twist to the power dynamics.

Another successful and interesting choice is the casting of Puck. Rather than the usual elfin slip of a young actor, we are given all six foot something of Adam Carver. More familiar to Birmingham audiences as drag performer Fatt Butcher, Carver’s Puck provides a sardonic commentary on the proceedings. His asides and put downs never fail to hit their comic mark, and he sings up a storm in his musical numbers. Quite outstanding.

Music plays a significant role, and it is another thing this production gets right. A mix of established pop songs – complete with new settings of Shakespeare’s text in the same style - results in a well-integrated and infectiously relatable score which complements the narrative.  All the singing is top notch.

An amplified soundtrack means the production has to be miked. This isn’t always a good thing, but here it means we get to really hear the text and enjoy how well it is worked by the cast. All of the players, all of the time, deliver with understanding, intelligence, clarity, and, at the same time, with the impression of easy spontaneity. It really is a joy to hear Shakespearean text done this well.

Another excellent decision is to play the four young lovers - and would be lovers - as school-age teenagers. This makes perfect sense of some of their more ridiculously over the top utterances. Isabel Adomakoh Young, Qasim Mohmood, Charlotte Wallis & Evie Ward-Drummond really lean into this element of their characters, particularly in the early scenes. Their performances are sharp, witty, energetic and charming.

A formidable team of ‘rude mechanicals’ come into their own during the ‘play within the play’.  Every opportunity for a laugh is grabbed with both hands and milked until its udders hurt. Omar Malik is a wonderfully over-the-top Bottom.

Niggles aside and taken for what it is - a fast and furious romp through Fairyland - the show is a triumph and deserves to take its place in the Rep’s line up of distinguished Shakespearean productions.

Cast & Creatives

Hermia – Isabel Adomakoh Young

Starveling & Cobweb – Lottie Beck Johnson

Puck & Philostrate – Adam Carver

Snug & Moth – Keiren Hamilton-Amos

Demetrius – Qasim Mahmood

Bottom – Omar Malik

Quince – Hannah McPake

Theseus & Oberon – Haydn Oakley

Snout & Mustardseed – James Tanton

Titania & Hippolyta – Ellena Vincent

Helena – Charlotte Wallis

Lysandra – Evie Ward-Drummond

Egeus – Andy Watkins

Flute & Peaseblossom – Lisa Zahra

Co-Directors – Joe Murphy/Madeleine Kludje

Sets & Costumes – Carl Davies

Lighting – Andy Pike

Sound – Claire Windsor

Additional Puck songs composer – Adam Carver

Musical director – Christopher Mundy