London’s Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park is currently staging a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” billed as being re-imagined for everyone aged 6 and over. The theatre’s website calls the production, “An ideal first experience of theatre and Shakespeare for children.” In the interest of being child friendly, director Dominic Leclerc begins the play with a 20-minute, modern-speech prologue introducing the characters and explaining the basic plot. Many of the scenes are cut down and re-ordered. The set is reminiscent of an old fashioned nursery with actors climbing in and out of a giant toy box. The costumes are designed to look like jack-in-the-box clowns, toy soldiers and wind-up ballerinas while teletubbies-like music completes the kid-friendly aesthetic.
Despite these efforts, the London critics are divided over whether the production works for either kids or adults.
Sam Marlowe of The Times gives Midsummer two stars gives out of five. He writes, “Introducing young children to Shakespeare through performance is an admirable enterprise, but Dominic Leclerc’s version of this summer favourite, specially adapted for over-5s, could more easily confuse than inspire…it quickly becomes apparent that turning the characters into toys has backfired. The lovers cannot endow their roles with much personality when required to move as if jerkily mechanised. And the quick costume changes necessitated by the playing of all the parts by an ensemble of just six means that we are confronted with fairies inelegantly got up in soldiers’ tunics with paper wings flapping feebly on their backs.” (Read the full Times review)
Lyn Gardner of The Guardian also gives the production two stars out of five. She writes, “The reason why actors should never work with children was amply demonstrated at the press performance for Dominic Leclerc’s revival, when the small boy plucked from the audience to play Moonshine in the final scene upstaged the professional actors and stole the show. He was so hilarious it only highlighted what an underwhelming two hours this is.” Even more damningly, Gardner concludes, “The overall impression is that Shakespeare is something very difficult and to be feared, when we all know that great productions make the Bard as easy as drinking a glass of water.” (Read the entire Guardian review)
But, where Gardner found that bringing the child on stage exposed the production as underwhelming, Sarah Hemming of The Financial Times finds it gives the actors a chance to shine. Hemming says, “Dominic Leclerc’s production also gamely brings children from the audience on to the stage to perform small parts. At the press performance, this tactic produced unexpected hilarity when a small boy playing Moonshine upstaged the entire cast with his lantern antics. The cast handled this with such good humour that soon everyone in the audience was laughing.” (Read the Financial Times review)
Caroline McGinn of Time Out London notes some flaws but has little doubt about the production’s success. She writes, “Leclerc’s production absolutely hammers home the idea of the play (it starts with a dumb-show and plot synopsis, thus reviving an old snare for inattentive audiences that Shakespeare often takes the mickey out of). It’s less strong on the details: this, and its prevailing innocence might make it more suitable for younger children (my three-year-old was enthralled). Older kids are brought on stage for bit-parts (predictably upstaging the adults). You could wish for more magical mystery, and a slightly clearer setting (it’s not clear why or whether they’re all toys). But this is a charming and engaging introduction to Shakespeare and theatre-going.” (Read the complete Time Out review)
Susan Elkin of What’s on the Stage simply writes, “On a sunny weekday afternoon when almost the entire audience consisted of school parties, nearly every child was fully engaged throughout - a sure sign that this innovative and thoughtful production works for those it’s aimed at.” (Read the What’s on the Stage review)
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Re-imagined for everyone aged 6 and over) runs though 2 August at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park in London.
