A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

Keats House

★★★★

“a richly atmospheric experience that is at times unsettling, at times hilarious, and always captivating”

A Midsummer Nightmare!, presented by Midnight Circle Productions and helmed by visionary director Cecilie Fray, is a bold, genre-defying reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic. Produced by the Broadway World award-winning company, this hauntingly beautiful adaptation captures both the chaos and charm of the original while plunging it into darker, more dreamlike depths.

From the moment the audience enters the performance space, it’s clear this is not traditional theatre. Each venue on the company’s tour is transformed into an enchanted garden, drawing you into an immersive, almost interactive environment. With flickering lanterns, creeping fog, and a soft midsummer breeze, the setting evokes something between a dream and a gothic fairytale. If you look closely enough, or maybe just believe hard enough, you might catch a fairy slipping between the trees.

The production leans heavily into the surreal and eerie qualities of the play, amplifying the sense of mischief, confusion, and illusion that has always been at its heart. This isn’t just a “Midsummer Night’s Dream” with a twist, it’s a full-on nightmare, but one that retains the warmth and wit of Shakespeare’s writing. The result is a richly atmospheric experience that is at times unsettling, at times hilarious, and always captivating.

One of the most impressive elements of the production is the cast’s dual role as both performers and musicians. Every actor on stage contributes not just to the storytelling but also to the show’s live soundscape, through haunting harmonies, folk-inspired instrumentation, and ambient vocalizations. This creates a constantly shifting sonic world that mirrors the instability of the enchanted forest and the characters’ emotional turmoil.

Standout performances abound. Nadia Lamin brings a touching vulnerability and fierce comic energy to Helena, whose desperate love for Demetrius, played with arrogance and occasional softness by Charlie Macrae-Tod, anchors some of the play’s most painfully funny scenes. Their chemistry adds fresh depth to one of the play’s most turbulent love stories.

Sam Bird is a magnetic presence as Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, the mischievous fairy who gleefully causes much of the chaos. His physicality, timing, and voice work bring an unpredictable edge to the role, while Chloe Orrock’s regal and brooding Oberon offers a powerful counterbalance. The decision to gender-swap the fairy king adds further intrigue to their dynamic.

Meanwhile, Titania, portrayed by Kennedy Jopson, exudes grace and quiet power, while her scenes with Bottom, played by Jed McLoughlin, are some of the show’s most bizarre and oddly tender moments. Their vocal performances in particular, lyrical, eerie, and emotionally charged, elevate the production’s dreamlike tone.

Costume and set design deserve special mention. Cloaked in earth tones, shadowy veils, and delicate lights, the aesthetic of the production embraces both decay and beauty. The forest feels alive, filled with secrets and whispers, while the actors’ costumes suggest they’ve wandered out of a folk horror film. The visuals, heighten the sense that this is a space out of time, where love, identity, and reality blur.

Despite its dark tone, the production doesn’t lose the play’s original humor. In fact, the comedic moments shine more brightly against the gothic backdrop, and the clever use of physical comedy and timing ensures the audience is constantly engaged, sometimes laughing, sometimes holding their breath.

If there’s one critique, it’s that the immersive elements might not work equally well in all venues, depending on the audience’s proximity to the action. However, this feels like a small price to pay for such an ambitious and original reimagining of a well-known classic.

In the end, A Midsummer Nightmare! is exactly what its title promises, a dream turned on its head. This production does not aim to comfort; it aims to enchant, unsettle, and surprise. With its stunning performances, innovative staging, and gothic flair, it invites us to rediscover Shakespeare not as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing spell of theatre.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

Keats House then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 13th June 2025

by Beatrice Morandi

Photography by Roj Whitelock

Previously reviewed by Beatrice:

INSIDE GIOVANNI’S ROOM | ★★★★★ | SADLER’S WELLS EAST | June 2025

MACBETH | ★★★★ | BREAD & ROSES THEATRE | May 2025

JORDAN GRAY: IS THAT A C*CK IN YOUR POCKET, OR ARE YOU JUST HERE TO KILL ME? | ★★★★★ | SOHO THEATRE | May 2025

FAYGELE | ★★★★★ | MARYLEBONE THEATRE | May 2025

ROMEO AND JULIET | ★★★★★ | HACKNEY EMPIRE | April 2025

THE GUEST | ★★★★★ | OMNIBUS THEATRE | April 2025

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

★★★★

“It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.”

The lights are dim, casting shadows on the revolving doors and liquor bottles, while silhouettes of shady figures move silently in the twilight, fedora’s tilted to shade the eyes. We expect Sam Spade to step out from the smoky, jazz rhythms; dressed in his gabardine long coat and Bogart drawl. Or Cary Grant with his transatlantic blend of cut glass and high class. But instead, Katy Owen, stalwart of Emma Rice’s ‘Wise Children’ company, trashes the fourth wall and greets us like music hall regulars. Lithe and angular, she moves like a panther high on humour and anarchic energy. She is the narrator, the professor, and other spies and deliciously unsavoury characters that fill the world Rice has created. Along with the five other cast members (is that all… there seem to be so many more?) she upturns, subverts and twists Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “North by Northwest”. ‘You’ve got to be on the ball to keep up with this’ she proclaims at the outset. Never mind being on the ball. We are clearly going to have a ball.

Newspaper headlines tell us where we are in time and context and banded suitcases let us know where we are in place, and who we are dealing with. Even so, it’s probably best to brush up on a rough synopsis before entering the auditorium. If only to appreciate the in-jokes and inventive use of props and scenery to depict the scenes. You must go and see for yourself how the iconic bi-plane chase in the cornfield is recreated. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is a spy story, set in the late fifties, that sweeps across North America from New York to Mount Rushmore via Chicago. A tale of mistaken identity. Roger Thornhill (Ewan Wardrop) summons a bell boy in the Plaza hotel, New York, so he can call his mum. Two suspicious looking gangsters are watching him and assume he is George Kaplan – a spy who needs to be kidnapped and taken to their master. The ‘butterfly effect’ sets in motion a chaotic series of events whereby Roger becomes the hunted and the hunter, searching for the non-existent Kaplan (he’s an FBI made-up decoy) while being pursued by both enemies and friends of the state. Oh, and he falls in love on the way with double agent Eve (Patrycja Kujawska). Nobody is who they appear to be. It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.

There is a lot of multi-rolling – and gender blind is an understatement. Karl Queensborough is magnificent as the gangster ringleader Phillip Vandamn, while giving a hilarious turn as other cameos – especially Roger’s mother. Mirabelle Gremaud and Simon Oskarsson get to demonstrate their versatility as the hapless spies Anna and Valerian, among countless others. Kujawska’s Eve is suitably slippery, yet sassily sensual as the love interest we never know whether to trust or not. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Roger never loses faith (well, maybe for a moment or too – but he’s only human). Wardrop pitches the offhand charm and wit to near perfection.

As with all Rice’s shows, music is a key feature. Composer Simon Baker mixes his own sounds with classic tunes from the period. But absent is the actor-muso element. Instead, to fabulous comic effect, the cast lip synch to the musical numbers with faultless precision. Etta Murfitt’s choreography adds surreal touches that, in less able hands, could easily jar but this company are expert at combining physical theatre with drama, with comedy – and with storytelling. Owen’s narration certainly helps. A star performance, and she still has time to slip into other guises.

It is in danger of becoming a little bit muddled towards its final moments, and the same tricks are just on the brink of being overused. But as these zany, talented characters cling to the precipice of Mount Rushmore we are rooting for them, even though the suspense is lacking. We’re not entirely sure what Hitchcock might make of it all. He’d want more danger and darkness perhaps. But Rice is a master of her craft and fans of the film will love this play as much as fans of ‘Wise Children’.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

Keats House

★★★★

“a richly atmospheric experience that is at times unsettling, at times hilarious, and always captivating”

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

Keats House then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 13th June 2025

by Beatrice Morandi

Photography by Roj Whitelock

Previously reviewed by Beatrice:

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Alexandra Palace Theatre

★★★★

“It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.”

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Alexandra Palace Theatre

Reviewed on 12th June 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Steve Tanner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

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