A Midsummer Night's Dream. To 24 May.
London
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
by William Shakespeare
Oskaras Korsunovas Theatre Company at Riverside Studios To 24 May 2003
7.45pm
Runs 2hr No interval
TICKETS: 020 8237 1111
or LIFT: 010 7863 8012
Review: Emma Dunford 20 May
Best described as Riverdance meets Stomp, but with all the darkness, confusion and humour of Shakespeare’s comedy.Oskaras Korsunovas’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes you on a surreal journey of choreographed magic, bringing The London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) - with its programme that questions the meanings, affects, influences, and impressions of theatre – to Hammersmith's Riverside Studios.
Nobody ever just walks across the stage in this production. The majority takes place in the enchanted forest outside Athens, and every idiosyncratic movement, every quirky step, dodge, pirouette, skip and jump from the cast, on their hands or their feet, has an unusual quality that makes you believe things are no longer ordinary.
Sounds of the forest come from the actors themselves and, even with a black stage devoid of set, from the moment you enter the theatre you are transported somewhere bewitching.
Seventeen people on stage, each hidden by a heavy-looking plank of wood cut to fit their individual size - these being the only props used throughout the entire show. It's easy to sense the trust each performer has for the others; the tightness of the choreography cannot be faulted.
Their medley of moves must take all the skill and acrobatic talent the young cast can muster, for these planks are constantly changing in function, becoming tree trunks in the forest, raised walkways and platforms for the fairies to run across, gondolas for the Athenians to sail upon, doors, walls, elevated bed chambers, bed covers, dancing partners and even musical instruments – this eccentricity, and the capacity for diversity, adds to the mayhem that is the Dream.
Then there is the characterisation – a Bottom with a great bray who makes you laugh to the extent that he commands your pity; three seductive and vigorous Titanias, nipples erect, used to symbolise the fairy queen’s feminine empowerment, decreasing to one when her meddling husband, Oberon, drops love potion into her eyes, so illustrating their exchange in power.
Two Athenian men and two Athenian women, tempestuous yet trifling in emotion and torrid yet frivolous in behaviour, amusingly falling in and out of love - the actors capture their roles with enthusiasm and force.
This Dream engages you for its two hours running time – this despite the Lithuanian cast performing in Lithuanian, surtitled by Shakespeare's script. Initially, it takes a while to hone in on it all, but Lithuanian is a very musical language, and there's a musical feel, with the rhythms of dialogue and action, and the lyrical verse.
Creative and definitely decorative, the physicality of the performance equals a trip to the circus - it wouldn't have been half as much fun in English.
Theseus, Oberon: Mindaugas Lungis
Hippolyta, Titania 1: Alina Zujyte
Egeus, Flute, Mustardseed: Nerijus Gadliaskas
Hermia: Airida Gintautaite
Helena: Rasa Samuolyte
Lysander: Darius Gumauskas
Demetrius: Rytis Saldzius
Philostrate, Quince: Gintautas Ryliskis
Snout: Sonata Visockaite
Starveling: Zivile Sliuzaite-Simkiene
Snug, Titania 2: Egle Valyte
Bottom: Algirdas Gradauskas
Titania 3: Karina Metrikyte
Fairy 1: Rasa Kulyte
Fairy 2, Peaseblossom: Asta Jestremskaite
Puck: Kristina Jakubauskaite
Elve: Daiva Siurblyte Juskiene
Director/Designer/Costume/Choreographer: Oskara Korsunovas
Sound: Gintaras Sodeika
2003-05-23 00:32:52