Coming Soon
Event Calendar
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pygmalion
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (12A)
Back to Black (15)
The Lavender Hill Mob (U)
Io Capitano (15)
Event Search
- This event has passed.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
April 2nd - April 6th
Event Navigation
Experience the enchantment of Shakespeare’s timeless classic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as it comes to life like never before in this all-new mesmerising production. Step into a world of magic, mischief and mayhem, where fairies dance in moonlit glades and lovers’ destinies intertwine.
The Everyman Theatre Company’s talented troupe will transport you to the mystical realm of Athens, where chaos and comedy collide. Leading our cast will be the inimitable clown Tweedy, recognised throughout the land (and by King Charles in his first ever New Year Honours List) for his physical comedy and slapstick prowess.
With its witty dialogue, unforgettable characters, and a touch of the supernatural, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will leave you spellbound whether you’re a Shakespeare afficionado or being introduced to his work for the first time. Book now and immerse yourself in a magical evening of pure delight for an audience of all ages.
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes (including interval)
Related Events
Event Reviews
-
Karen
Great adaptation. Hilarious whilst still relating the structural integrity of the play. A great night out.
-
Joanne
A brilliant, really amusing production with fabulous actors. Bottom is hilarious!
-
The View from the Stalls
An absolute joy!
If you ever thought Shakespeare wasn't your cup of tea, be prepared to have those preconceptions challenged. The Everyman Theatre's joyous version of A Midsummer Night's Dream will blow any trepidation out of the water. Whilst the play is a comedy, here the humour and fun are taken to new heights and this is in no small part due to the fact that they have a professional clown in their midst... And that is obvious from the start when Tweedy barges in through the foyer's door with a long wooden plank and proceeds to perform the first of the slapstick sequences (you can guess what happens there!). Tweedy is a very accomplished clown in Gifford's Circus, a regular in Everyman's pantomimes and here is also the production's "comedy advisor" which accounts for the leaning towards fun in the show.
Tweedy takes the role of Bottom (with and without a donkey head!) and definitely makes the most of his skills in entertaining the audience as Shakespeare's fool and even if you have not seen him perform before, you very quickly warm to his seemingly effortless slapstick, especially knowing just how much work goes into making it look effortless. Every so often, he would come on stage exclaiming "Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse!"and do a little routine - the deckchair and horse routines were brilliant and, in the finest panto tradition, the front row gets very unexpectedly wet...
Puck is another character key to the humour in the show (played here by Jeremy Stockwell) and there is more fun from the "rude mechanicals", a group of skilled artisans wanting to put on a play for Royalty. The same actors are also involved in some wonderful fairy scenes, colourful and musical, especially the final scenes which had the audience clapping along. The somewhat convoluted story involving star-crossed lovers and a good amount of fairy dust is wonderfully brought to life.
The company has managed to deliver something quite unique - a show which is understandable, really clever and funny and all this without compromising the plot, the characters or the language of Shakespeare. There is no attempt to "update" the story or location and with just 10 actors and 22 characters, they are kept busy changing characters and costumes. No mean feat given that just reading the synopsis of Shakespeare's play can give you a headache! It is definitely a show which will appeal to a younger audience as a great introduction to the works of the Bard, though other shows are unlikely to be as well done as this one!
Shakespeare - stuffy and incomprehensible? Certainly not here! This is a real joy to watch and a game-changer in how Shakespeare can be very accessible to all ages, even to hard-core Shakespeare fans.
-
Lowri
A brilliant and massively funny adaptation! Every character was played to perfection and each costume and scene was beautifully designed. Tweedy was wonderfully hilarious (as always), and all of the parts were excellently presented - Shakespeare would have loved it!
-
Ruth
We’ve just come back after having a fabulous time watching the best performance that I have ever seen ( by far) of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The cast were amazing with a special nod to Puck (whose Welsh accent was just the ticket) and of course Tweedy who was well, Tweedy…Shakespeare would have loved this rendition! Thank you all.
-
Kelvin
A superb evening spent joyously watching a really hilarious production
House should have been full. Sadly wasn't.
Those that didn't come don't know what they missed -
Fairy Powered Productions - Kathie Hodges
Could there be a more perfect role for our beloved Tweedy?
Having never seen Tweedy ~ the now former Giffords Circus Clown outside of the circus or annual pantomimes my daughter and I were super excited to see him in a whole new light.
A magical and whimsical Shakespearean play with a character named Bottom seems an incredibly appropriate place to start.We didn’t lose the clown by any means. The fun aspect of this play was apparent immediately. In typical slapstick style there was flatulence, lots of falling around and general horseplay or Donkey play might be a more appropriate description.
Though the language was testing for my nine year old daughter at times she did manage to keep up with the story and the laughs from all ages in the auditorium were proof enough that the audience were suitably impressed.
Expect to be taken on a fantastical adventure through intertwining stories.
The theme at the forefront being that age old issue ~ love.
The beautiful Athenian landscape and magical forest lit up by colourful costumes were simply striking.
No one cast member stood out more than another, though we were drawn in by Tweedy, we left with a complete adoration for the entire cast who managed with ease to take on their many roles effortlessly.
A magical must see show.
Seat your Bottom comfortably and immerse yourself in the whimsical world of Shakespeare.
-
Worcester Observer - Euan Rose
THE WORD ‘accessible’ leaps out as you are watching this splendid new imagining by Paul Milton of Shakespeare’s best-known comedy. From the minute a bunch of clowns – aka ‘the rude mechanicals’ – burst through the auditorium doors creating delightful disorder, you know this is not going to be a twee, doff-of-the-cap to the Stratford lad.
What follows is adrenaline fueled bawdy romp that mixes magic, mirth and mayhem in a simply joyous experience.
Milton directs a company of just ten who give us a cavalcade of characters thrice their number. He has taken liberties on how the story should be told – and I’d say the success of this shows in the confidence and obvious enjoyment from everyone concerned.He involves us too with some clever action happening in the audience, which is most engaging and never intimidating.
Charles Cusick-Smith and Phil R Daniels give us an enchanting, kaleidoscopic set which moves us seamlessly between the kingdoms of humans and fairies. The costumes are mystical, spectacular and always appropriate. Likewise, Michael Childs music is catchy, tuneful and totally in keeping.
The genius of this production is the casting of the legendary clown Tweedy as Bottom. He is simply wonderful and enjoys many moments of spontaneous applause for his solo work whilst the cast are changing frocks – yet he is a team player when needed. He is also the shows comedy advisor and one can only imagine the fun that went on in rehearsals.
Everyone deserves praise, but I’d like to give a special mention to Jeremy Stockwell who, for me, was simply outstanding as the ultimate naughty Puck.
I had the pleasure of seeing some of Milton’s work years ago in Birmingham and shall definitely be watching what he is doing at his home base of the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham now that I am reunited.
I have never laughed as much at a Shakespeare play – this adaptation loses nothing and gains much – catch it at Malvern this week if you can, failing that it’s worth sallying forth to other theatres on the small tour.
This ‘Dream’ is splendid, hilarious, magical and oh so accessible which makes it simply – unmissable!
-
A View from Behind the Arras - Tim Crow
Paul Milton’s excellent adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a hilarious and very successful one. Whatever the purists might say, I think the Bard would have been delighted to see his play providing such wonderful entertainment more than 400 years after he wrote it.
The famous story is set in Athens and framed with the love and marriage celebration of King Theseus of Athens and Hyppolyta his Queen. The story of the young lovers, Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, is troubled by Egeus and by the magical antics of Puck as directed by the Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania. This is interwoven by the antics of the rude mechanicals who are preparing a play to entertain the royal couple at their wedding celebration.
Paul Milton has reshaped the play to centre around Bottom. This makes the play a genuine farce with elements of circus, clowning and slapstick. The cast make very rapid switches from role to role. The knockabout elements abound, the jokes around Bottom and his farts and follies weave in and out of the action.
This production is hugely energetic, lively, colourful and hilarious. The physical comedy produced by Tweedy in the key role of Bottom is side-splitting at times. The deckchair may be anachronistic but it is great fun. This ensures the play works for a audience of almost every age.
Shakespeare’s language is not easy for many but this cast enunciate very well and deliver the lines in a very expressive way that ensures that it is as clear as possible to follow. The colourful and creative costumes, the singing and the choreography all complemented the performance very well.
Around Tweedy’s brilliant antics, the cast swap in and out of different roles and costumes, and perform with great strength and skill. Laura Noble as Helena and Flute was particularly good, Troy Alexander (Theseus And Oberon) and Natalie Winsor (Hyppolita and Titania) provide a strong presence and persuasive performances. Nadia Shash showed great flexibility as Hermia, Quince and Peaseblossom. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is performed with comic excellence.
This production was hugely entertaining; the audience loved it.
-
Elizabeth
An absolutely glorious production, scenery, costume, music, adaption, and above all the quality of the performers. One of the best events I have seen at Malvern. The show remained in my mind and just hope that they get good audiences for the rest of the tour. Brilliant!
