{"id":120153,"date":"2025-12-09T10:43:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=120153"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:43:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:43:25","slug":"scrutiny-men-tights-lorcan-blood-wedding-midsummer-nights-dream-sam-wanamaker-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/12\/09\/scrutiny-men-tights-lorcan-blood-wedding-midsummer-nights-dream-sam-wanamaker-playhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | From Men In Tights To Lorcan Blood Wedding \u2013 A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream At The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hedydd
Hedydd Dylan as Hippolyta; Tiwa Lade as Hermia; David Olaniregun as Lysander in A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream at The Globe Theatre (Photo: Helen Murray)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Globe\/Headlong Productions: A Midsummer Night\u2019s 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>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A forbidding, clinically white stage is not what comes naturally to mind for the setting of A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream, at least not for such intimately warm venue as the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.<\/p>\n

A nod to Peter Brook\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Titania\u2019s \u2018The seasons alter\u2019, as she describes the impact of her quarrel with Oberon, becomes a cue for the wintry setting. The program notes\u2019 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<\/strong>, also doubling as Flute). Once again Varsha Panjawi\u2019s 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<\/strong>) and Theseus\/Oberon (given alarming force by Michael Marcus<\/strong>). Love is replaced by a sado-masochist negative energy that eventually unravels the entire foundation of authority.<\/p>\n

Performances<\/h3>\n

The agent of this destruction is no other than Puck. As portrayed by the imposing Estonian Sergo Vares<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

Bottom, given humanity and pathos by the larger-than-life Danny Kirrane<\/strong>, goes from swearing to drawing and snorting his lines, with some knowing asides to the audience.<\/p>\n

Between these two extremities come the lovers, portrayed with youthful energy and exuberance \u2014 Lou Jackson<\/strong>\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly Bottom\u2019s transformation doesn\u2019t come with ass ears; Puck violently replaces his shoes by makeshift hooves. Elsewhere, Jack Humphrey<\/strong> seamlessly commutes between Peter Quince and Egeus, suggesting the affinity between the characters.<\/p>\n

\"L-R
L-R (clockwise): Sergo Vares as Puck in A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream at The Globe Theatre (Photo: Helen Murray); Danny KIrrane as Bottom in A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream at The Globe Theatre (Photo: Helen Murray); Michael Marcus as Theseus; Hedydd Dylan as Hippolyta; Tiwa Lade as Hermia in A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream at The Globe Theatre (Photo: Helen Murray)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shuffling Scenes<\/h3>\n

As has become habitual now, directors Holly Race Roughan<\/strong> and Naeem Hayat<\/strong> shuffle scenes, redistribute parts of speeches, and add a sprinkling of texts other plays \u2014 including \u2018Perchance to Dream\u2019 in golden letters high above the stage.<\/p>\n

The actors\u2019 talents are fully explored as David Olaniregun<\/strong> (Lysander) and Lou Jackson<\/strong> take turns at the piano, with snatches of pop songs. Elsewhere, music composed by Nicola T. Chang<\/strong> and directed by Richie Hart<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

Long gone are the days when Shakespeare\u2019s Globe was a refuge from radicalised and productions. The \u2018Original Practices\u2019 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\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n

The problem comes when there is little left that can shock the audience. The solution in this production, a literal derivation of Chekhov\u2019s gun as Theseus shoots Bottom, felt merely gratuitous and unconvincing.<\/p>\n

I left feeling that provocation might have finally surpassed poetry.<\/p>\n

Are you looking to promote an event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n

Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em>HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A forbidding, clinically white stage is not what comes naturally to mind for A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream in the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":120156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,52,62,64],"tags":[42486,3588],"yst_prominent_words":[21045,21042,21044],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2025-12-09T103848.971.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vfX","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120153"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120153"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120158,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120153\/revisions\/120158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120153"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=120153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}