AD: Press Invite. All production images courtesy of Nick Rutter.
There are some plays that are just made to be performed in the open air and the classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is one of them. A story of four young lovers venturing into the woods and meeting magical fairies and sprites amongst the trees, it almost seems wrong to perform this show anywhere other than an outdoor theatre. Combine this with some of Mendelssohn’s most enchanting musical pieces, and you have a unique theatre experience perfect for summer evenings.
For those not familiar with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the play is one of the Bard’s many comedies that consists of several subplots revolving around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One plot focuses on a conflict among four lovers, telling a story of pining and unrequited love. Another is a play within a play, following a group of six amateur actors rehearsing a play which they are going to be performing at the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by magical beings and fairies who manipulate the humans and cause mayhem across both groups. Nature plays a key part in the play, with most of the action taking place specifically under the light of the moon, making the setting even more spectacular.
Holland Park, meanwhile, is one of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s largest green spaces and is home to the beautiful Kyoto Garden and the historic Holland House, the latter being the backdrop for the evening’s performance. The canopied theatre spreads around the exterior of the building, creating a stunning space for the performers to take advantage of and for the audience to enjoy. The quiet hum of activity from the park around you only elevates the theatre experience, particularly for a show of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s nature.
The beauty of the setting is one of the key selling points. I have personally experienced many forms of Shakespearian drama unfolding on stage, with everything from trips to The Globe in summer to musical adaptations of every kind. However, I’ve never experienced Shakespeare combined with both Opera and a classical orchestral accompaniment. Putting this against a backdrop as stunning as Holland House certainly elevates the whole experience and, because we were treated to such a gorgeous set, the rest of the stage design is kept relatively minimal allowing the location and narrative to do the heavy lifting.
The cast are certainly a major positive of the show, with some stand out comedic performances. Given the number of different plots running simultaneously throughout the show, I do often find myself leaning towards one over the other without realising. However, I think that both groups stood strong and delivered a masterclass in comedic acting. Often with Shakespeare, if you’re not familiar with the plot, you may find the meaning of the words lost in the performance, but this is not something that has happened with this group of performers. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed with so much physical comedy. There were moments where I was having to stop myself from laughing too loudly, which is a sign of a good set of performers.
The costume design was also simple but excellently executed. Using simple colour palettes to represent the character’s nature – black and white for the humans, green for the good fairies and red for the tricksters. For a company that prides itself on accessibility of theatre, I think these simple cues are useful for those who may be less familiar with the plot overall. You don’t have to be a Shakespeare expert to enjoy this performance, and those are the best kinds of Shakespeare productions.
I only have two complaints about the show, one which can’t be changed and one which can. Firstly, this is a long performance. With the run time being billed as 2 hours and 45 minutes, it is more towards the three hour mark with a shorter interval than billed. While for many this won’t be a problem, it could be an access issue for others. Additionally, even as a Shakespeare fan, I do feel there are scenes that could be cut without ruining the integrity of the piece for the sake of reducing the running time and making the show more comfortable to watch.
The second issue was that at times the sound quality wasn’t the clearest. When a show’s dialogue is so integral to understanding the piece, it is a shame that whole scenes were lost due to muffled microphones or the levels being too high. It’s not uncommon for Shakespeare to be performed without microphones, but when amplification is present it is key to get the volume right so that the cast are easily understandable. A simple fix, which would not impact the larger enjoyment of the show.
The final thing to acknowledge is the orchestra. Beyond the famous Overture and ‘Wedding March’, Mendelssohn’s enticing score also includes filmic passages which underscore the dialogue connecting Shakespeare’s scenes, as well as numbers for soprano soloists and upper-voice chorus. Figure’s musicians played on historical instruments, modelled on those from Mendelssohn’s time, including the rarely heard ophicleide, an ancestor of the tuba. Mendelssohn’s early work was heavily inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream and bringing these two pieces together worked incredibly well and allowed exposure to music that I’d never heard performed live before.
Opera Holland Park is an independent charity that identifies and nurtures emerging talent and serves the local company throughout the year. Their key aim is to build audiences of the future and take music to those who may find a traditional theatre setting inaccessible. This ethos runs through this performance, with a mixture of talent on the stage. The children’s chorus were all from Theatre Peckham Academy Glee Club as well as soprano soloists Rowan Pierce and new OAE Rising Star, Madison Nonoa, giving opportunities to those to take their steps towards a career in theatre.
If you are a fan of classic music and Shakespearean comedies, this is the perfect combination. The show has a limited run, performing at Opera Holland Park until 1 July. The production company Figure are one to watch, creating new approaches to historical works.
Tickets for the 1 July performance are available here: operahollandpark.com
