Globe/Headlong Productions: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare. Holly Race Roughan and Naeem Hayat, co-directors; Max Johns, designer; Richie Hart, musical director; Nicola T Chang, composer & sound designer; with Hedydd Dylan (Hippolyta/Tatania); Pria Kalso (Flute, Child); Michael Marcus (Oberon/Theseus); Tiwa Lade (Hermia/Mustardseed); Sergo Vares (Puck); David Olaniregun (Lysander/Moth). Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, December 3, 2025; continues until January 31, 2026. Tickets here.
A forbidding, clinically white stage is not what comes naturally to mind for the setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, at least not for such intimately warm venue as the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
A nod to Peter Brook’s iconic white box RSC production? Perhaps, and in more than one way. Like that staging, this co-production between the Globe and Headlong does not shy away from the darker corners of the play.
Titania’s ‘The seasons alter’, as she describes the impact of her quarrel with Oberon, becomes a cue for the wintry setting. The program notes’ deduction from here to our current climate crisis seems like a stretch too far. Not much more convincing is the great weight the production gives to the changeling child (normally a boy but here a girl, portrayed by Pria Kalso, also doubling as Flute). Once again Varsha Panjawi’s notes relating this minor subplot to crimes of coloniality feel like gratuitous point making. The child becomes the heart of the conflict between the two chief couples, Hippolyta/Titania (played by a darkly menacing Hedydd Dylan) and Theseus/Oberon (given alarming force by Michael Marcus). Love is replaced by a sado-masochist negative energy that eventually unravels the entire foundation of authority.
Performances
The agent of this destruction is no other than Puck. As portrayed by the imposing Estonian Sergo Vares, he is a sinister half Matthew-Bourne-like swan, half scary white-faced clown, whose every appearance is accompanied by an eerie cluster inside the piano, often to the existential discomfort of Bottom.
Bottom, given humanity and pathos by the larger-than-life Danny Kirrane, goes from swearing to drawing and snorting his lines, with some knowing asides to the audience.
Between these two extremities come the lovers, portrayed with youthful energy and exuberance — Lou Jackson’s Demetrius is a stand-out performance in its infectious sexual tension. They all double as fairies, dressed in black tutus, and often wearing pagan-style animal masks, contributing to the feverish nightmare that unfolds.
Surprisingly Bottom’s transformation doesn’t come with ass ears; Puck violently replaces his shoes by makeshift hooves. Elsewhere, Jack Humphrey seamlessly commutes between Peter Quince and Egeus, suggesting the affinity between the characters.
Shuffling Scenes
As has become habitual now, directors Holly Race Roughan and Naeem Hayat shuffle scenes, redistribute parts of speeches, and add a sprinkling of texts other plays — including ‘Perchance to Dream’ in golden letters high above the stage.
The actors’ talents are fully explored as David Olaniregun (Lysander) and Lou Jackson take turns at the piano, with snatches of pop songs. Elsewhere, music composed by Nicola T. Chang and directed by Richie Hart at the piano and guitar discretely highlights changes of moods, underlines magical moments, and stirs the chaotic atmosphere of preparation of the dinner parties that open and close the production.
Final Thoughts
Long gone are the days when Shakespeare’s Globe was a refuge from radicalised and productions. The ‘Original Practices’ dream of the late Claire Van Kampen and Sir Mark Rylance has been gradually replaced by the common practice of confronting and playing with audience’s expectations.
The problem comes when there is little left that can shock the audience. The solution in this production, a literal derivation of Chekhov’s gun as Theseus shoots Bottom, felt merely gratuitous and unconvincing.
I left feeling that provocation might have finally surpassed poetry.
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
- SCRUTINY | From Men In Tights To Lorcan Blood Wedding – A Midsummer Night’s Dream At The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse - December 9, 2025
- SCRUTINY | All Is Full of Love: Renée Fleming’s Gala At Toronto’s Koerner Hall - November 3, 2025
- SCRUTINY | A Communion With Music Itself – Sir András Schiff’s Return To Koerner Hall - November 3, 2025
