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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Jun 30, 2008 - 1:39:37 AM

Warminster School wove their magic spell in the Merlin Theatre this week. Produced and directed by Damian Todres, Head of Drama, and Annabel Hooper, Drama and LAMDA tutor, they took Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream to new heights. The basic story of a comic collision of lovers – both mortals and fairies - has not changed; the brilliant twist is the notion of seeing the Dream through the adorable little changeling (Matthew Stone). This device worked exceptionally well for a Lower School production.

The show opens with the sickly changeling in bed insisting that his nanny (Phoebe Trussler) continues to tell him the story. He is then moved onto the stage in bed to observe, and we are introduced to Theseus, (Patrick Williams) who is preparing his wedding to Hippolyta, (Alice Cook). Theseus is called in to resolve a dispute between the lovers. The volatile Hermia (Hannah Boyd) wants to marry the ardent Lysander (Fraser Richardson) whom she loves; her father Egeus’s (Sebastian Tindall) preferred match is the callous Demetrius (Andrew Langford). Demetrius is however being pursued by the masochistically besotted Helena (Hannah Boyd). All the principal roles here are excellent and wonderfully performed.

The love-tangle quartet depart to a forest that is formed from translucent sheeting and wooden stands; this is both creative and imaginative. The fairies in the forest throughout the production have stylized dance routines that effectively evoke their magical environment. In the midst of this we meet Bottom (Henry Joyce) and the chaotic group of Mechanicals as they attempt to become thespians to perform at Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. The Mechanicals, who are each individually characterised, are side-huggingly funny with lots of true laugh-out-loud moments as the exasperated Quince (Alex Shad) tries to encourage them to rehearse.

We are then introduced to the sparring and disagreements between Titania (Natasha Eeles) a memorable and imposing Fairy Queen, and Oberon (Chris Stone) who was coolly ethereal as King of the Fairies and applied more than just a touch of steel. Oberon, and his raucous attendant Puck (Patrick James) work their alchemy, and they wreak havoc on the lovers who are spending the night in the forest. Titania is tricked into falling in love with Bottom, who has now been transferred into an ass. As Titania awakes she lavishes her attention on Bottom.

For the unlucky lovers in the forest it all goes horribly wrong and romantic shenanigans ensue when both Lysander and Demetrius are magically enamoured with Helena who now feels she is being mocked by them.

Finally Oberon gives the lovers and Titania the antidote for the love potion and they awake trying to make sense of what they believe is a strange dream. Bottom returns to his players and they perform Pyramus and Thisbe, the mirthful tragic play-within-a-play at the wedding of the three couples. Pyramus (Henry Joyce) attacks the role with an uninhibited comic flair ably supported by Thisbe (Dane Yeandel) who was literally larger than life, the hapless lion (Ben Ecclestone), the madcap Man in the Moon (Robert Allen) and the deadpan Wall (Ryan West). The caricatures were so convincing with their strong Wiltshire accents. It was laugh-‘til-you-ache-funny and exceeded expectations.