A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: To 10 November.
London/Tour
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
by Wiilliam Shakespeare
The Roundhouse London to 21 Apri then tour to 10 November 2007
TICKETS: 0870 389 1846 (Roundhouse)
Review Mark Courtice: 7 April
Much ado about nothing.
This production arrived from Stratford trailing clouds of glory. It is hard on the evidence here to see why everyone was so enthusiastic. Overwhelmed by its multilingualism, badly acted and sitting uncomfortably in the former railway turntable shed that is the Roundhouse, by the interval I could stand it no longer.
A multi-national company performs in a mixture of languages of which one is English. Perhaps it made more sense in Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhalese, Marathi, Sanskrit or Hindi, but for those who don't know the original play the evening is baffling.
The design, which includes a silk floor and a huge paper backdrop through which fairies appear, is not as exciting as it should be. The actors look uncomfortable and insecure rolling around at heights and negotiating slippery surfaces. The ribbons and ropes don't add magic, partly because they are almost a cliché at the moment, and partly because this company are not good enough acrobats to use them with ease and fluency.
Neither are they good enough actors to handle the text (whichever language it is in). It’s hard to understand why people are so mad for love; why kings and subjects and fathers and children are so out of joint; and what on earth a fairy world has to do with the real one.
This play is vaingloriously advertised as 'directed by Tim Supple' as a sort of subtitle, so he must take responsibility for this mess.
He too is to blame for this member of the audience leaving at the interval. I sat in two seats in the mid price £27.50 area and just could not see properly because of the pillars. Watching Oberon's wildly gesticualting arms waggle either side of a pillar as he ranted, invisible, behind it was funny in the wrong sort of way. When Titania managed to do a big speech completely hidden by a stray piece of torn paper from the backdrop, it was time to go.
Understanding only a fifth of what is said, seeing only a fifth of what is done, this is more nightmare than dream.
Philostrate/Puck: Ajay Kumar
Hippolyta/Titania: Archana Ramaswamy
Theseus/Oberon: P R Jijoy
Egeus/Moth: J Jayakumar
Hermia: Yuki Ellias
Demetrius: Prasanna Mahagamage
Lysander: Chandan Roy Sanyal
Helena: Shanaya rafaat
Peter Quince: Ashwatthama J D
Nick Bottom: Joy Fernandes
Francis Flute: Joyraj Bhattacharya
Robin Starveling: T Gopalakrishnan
Tom Snout: Umesh Jagtap
Snug: Jitu Shastr
Peaseblossom: Faezeh Jalali
Cobweb: M Palani
Mustardseed: D Padmakumar
Dragonfly: Tapan Das
Glow Worm: Dharminder Pawar
Boy: Lakhan Pawar/Ram Paar
Director: Tim Supple
Designer/Costume: Sumant Jayakrishnan
Lighting: Zuleikha Chaudhari
Sound: Nick Lidster/Autograph
Music Director: Devissaro
Choreographer: D Padmakumar, M Palani
Assistant director: Quasar Thakore Padamsee
Assistant costume: Urvashi Bhargava
2007-04-16 02:04:56