A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Headlong and Shakespeare’s Globe at Shakespeare North Playhouse

‘a brave and bold interpretation that demands to be seen’

Renowned as one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, it is the dark undertone that runs through the three interconnected stories that director Holly Race Roughan has chosen to focus on, the result of which literally blows you away in this gamechanger of a production.

An androgynous Puck (Sergo Vares) greets us, more mysterious than mischievous, setting the tone for all that follows before we meet the Duke, Theseus (Michael Marcus), and his newly conquered betrothed, Hippolyta (Hedydd Dylan), whose animosity crackled across the stage. Egeus (Jack Humphrey) interrupts proceedings to complain about his daughter, Hermia (Tiwa Lade), who loves Lysander (David Olaniregun) despite her father’s preferred match of Demetrius (Lou Jackson), who in turn is unwelcomingly pursued by Helena (Tara Tijani). Hermia’s choice is clear: follow your father’s wishes or face either death or life as a nun. Unsurprisingly she chooses to steal away with Lysander in the night through the forest, rapidly pursued by Demetrius and Helena.

Also preparing to set out for the forest are the mechanicals – cleverly presented here as Theseus’ domestic servants – with head chef Bottom (Danny Kirrane) and housemaid Flute (Pria Kalsi) under the direction of maître d’ Quince (Humphrey), preparing a play for the duke’s wedding.

But in the forest Puck’s master is Oberon (Marcus), King of the Fairies, whilst his Queen, Titania (Dylan), is served by Peasblossom (Tijani), Mustardseed (Lade), Cobweb (Jackson), and Moth Olaniregun). A little domestic disagreement ensues over a child (Kalsi), and as the paths of lovers, servants, and fairies cross, dark mischief is in the air as lovers become opposed and fairy magic provokes merriment and fear in equal measure, with the only hint of salvation in the form of a ballerina (Dannie Harris).

As everything unravels, Puck’s challenge is to right his wrongs, but can the earlier nightmares simply be dismissed as bad dreams or is there something much darker going on.

This is a brave and bold interpretation that demands to be seen: focusing on the magical and mysterious and the resulting mayhem, it plays on the misogynistic patriarchy inherent throughout history with unnerving parallels to the world today and the recent breaking stories about Jeffrey Epstein.

Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Cockpit Theatre offers plenty of opportunity as with performances in the round, the cast are very much to the fore and we are fully immersed in this production, with lighting designer Joshie Harriette’s chandeliers used to good effect alongside compositions from sound designer Nicola T Chang striking the right balance of guitar accompaniment and choice of song at key moments.

The characters are intriguing but not necessarily likeable, and the production is all the better for it with a raw energy pervading every scene that had the audience gripped from Puck’s eerie silence at the start through to a powerful and impactful ending.

I was particularly impressed with the amount of doubling up from the cast, not usually evident with this play, that worked brilliantly here and was executed with some aplomb and quick interchanges of costumes designed by Joanna Cross and Kevin Muscat, and seamless set changes of Max Johns’ simple but effective stage design effected by a stage management team of Martha Mamo, Rhea Jacques, and Camila Hoyos Stuttle.

There were strong performances from all the cast to the extent that I wouldn’t normally single anyone out, but this innovative interpretation relies heavily on Marcus and Vares opening the heart of the darkness that lies within the original and both impress with believable performances played right on the edge which chillingly pervades throughout.

Having completed its run at Shakespeare’s Globe, the production performs through to the 7^th February at Shakespeare North Playhouse (www.shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk) in Prescot before proceeding to production partners Leeds Playhouse (www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk) from 14^th to 28^th February and Bristol Old Vic (www.bristololdvic.org.uk) from (4^th to 21^st March. The tour concludes at Oxford Playhouse (www.oxfordplayhouse.com) from 24^th to 28^th March.

Review Date: 4^th February 2026

Star Rating: FIVE