Although the weather app may tell you otherwise, Heather Tiernan’s staging of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at The StAge has brought a summery spell to the dreary St Andrews winter. Although Halloween may be behind us now its revelrous spirit appears to be haunting the bones of this production – transforming the familiar 601 into a theatre.
As audience members took their seats they found the production had already begun, with Iha Jha’s Puck perched like a contortionist upon the stage. Whilst intriguing to begin with I can’t grasp what the intention behind this choice was, nor can I imagine it had the desired effect beyond the odd muttering of confusion. Rather than philosophising as to the implications of this choice on the wider worldbuilding of the production, I was more concerned with the wellbeing of Jha’s neck and knees having been made to hold the position for over ten minutes. Overall, this aspect felt rather gimmicky in comparison to some of the more effective choices throughout the play.
Doubts aside, the production began energetically, with characters literally reeling around the stage, as the playful puck conducted them like puppets. The ceilidh dancing – despite resurrecting awkward memories of high school social dancing lessons – was an excellent addition to the lively spirit of the play and a welcomed homage to the text’s Celtic inspirations. A risky move that could easily have become a tedious pad to the runtime of a production already over two hours long. However, ceilidh dance was used sparsely and to great effect throughout the production.
Credit: Instagram/@midsummer_sta.
A word of appreciation must also be granted for Kate Nolting’s costume direction. The blend of the mystical and the mundane crafted an engaging blend of the parallel realms of the play. Particular standouts were the celestial decadence of the fairy queen’s costume and the environmental regalia of Oberon; although several entanglements between the devious cape and the set did leave the audience squirming at times. The level of craftsmanship to each crocheted wing and donkey’s head did not go unnoticed by the captivated.
The swiftness of Tiernan’s direction kept a steady hand over the mischievous plot that otherwise could easily have become dizzying and nonsensical. The blocking of transitions between the carousel of plots the play follows was nicely handled and kept the audience at its heels as it twirled between scenes.
The young lovers of play were well cast in their roles, and although they needed a bit of time to warm up, they quickly became electric. The stand-out performance was Felix Da Silva Clam as Lysander, who pulled off the sincere naivety of the role with a warm genuine charm. The quartet particularly shone in the more tense moments between them, managing to be both convincing and side-splitting as they flirted, fought, and flexed for each other's attention.
Equally amusing was the antics of the players of the ‘play inside the play’ who made their dazzling entrance by handing out flyers with all the flair of any ‘Glee’ cast member or over-eager Mermaids rep at the freshers fayre. Kiera Joyce as Bottom threatened to steal every scene she swaggered her way into, which made her fellow players command of laughs and attention all the more impressive. The troupe had a very difficult task of maintaining the audience’s attention at their most vulnerable point as the play drew to its close, and did so with a commendable flair and commitment that left their audience not only captive but howling with laughter until they took their bows.
The ending comes like a dizzy hangover after a most peculiar night of revelry (familiar to many who’ve enjoyed similar nights of their own in 601). Wrongs having been righted and amends restored all that remained was a final dance that harnessed the overpowering merriment of its audience as they kept an enthusiastic beat. The final bows were met by a unanimous standing ovation that I must agree was entirely deserved.
Perhaps as an English student – and by definition a card-carrying subscriber to the Shakespearean cult – I am biased to the charms of iambic pentameter. But I would suggest Tiernan’s whimsical web of cross-dressing bacchanalia would put a smile on even the harshest critic of the bard. However, if you’re determined to prove me wrong, catch the final performance of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on the 5th of November at The StAge!
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