18th October 2022
Joe Murphy puts a modern, relatable spin on a classic tale, and celebrates the magic of the Welsh Language in his adaptation of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. A story of mischief, trickery, and love triangles, Shakespeares iconic play follows Hermia, Lysanna and Demetrius caught up in a love triangle, complicated further by the fairies playful love spells and a donkey!
A popular favourite amongst fans of Williams Shakespeare, taking on such an iconic play is no mean feat – with cultureÔÇÖs obsession with adaptations and retellings, a successful production needs to be distinct enough to capture audiences’ attention without straying too far from the source material.
Fortunately, MurphyÔÇÖs retelling breathes new life into a play over four hundred years old through the incorporation of the Welsh language and gender swapping, delivering a production that was both hilarious and poignant.
Gender swapping is nothing radical in contemporary theatre, especially in modern adaptations of Shakespeare. However, it can be a useful tool in subverting key messages, demonstrated in this production which tells a relatively dated story through a queer lense. Lysander, HermiaÔÇÖs male love interest, is now Lysanna (Lauren Morais), creating sympathy for the young couple as their queer love is rendered forbidden by HermiaÔÇÖs arranged betrothal to Demetrius, a man. Morais and Dena Davies, who plays Hermia, do well at portraying the naive impulsivity and intensity of young love.
King Oberon was also the one to fall in love with Bottom after his transformation into a donkey when in the original play it was Titania. As effective as both gender swaps were, Bottom and OberonÔÇÖs short-lived romance was definitely more for laughs than anything remotely political. This was evident in their duet of ForeignerÔÇÖs I Wanna Know What Love Is to close the First Act which might have been cringe if it wasnÔÇÖt so well executed.
Izzard and MoraisÔÇÖs Welsh Language Adaptations was a clever device to distinguish the magical characters from the mortal ones. To an English student living in Wales with not a lot of interaction with the Welsh language, it had a transformative effect and elevated the magical, otherworldly aspect of the play. After all, ShakespeareÔÇÖs depiction of fairies is firmly rooted in the Welsh folk tradition. I was intrigued to see how the production would incorporate English surtitles; my questions were answered when Puck first bound onto stage conjuring the translation through her ÔÇÿmagic.ÔÇÖ I found this particularly clever.┬á
Leah GaffeyÔÇÖs portrayal of Puck was definitely my highlight of the show. Puck is a favourite among ShakespeareÔÇÖs characters and Gaffey captured their mischief and trickery and added a fresh spin by breaking the fourth wall. This was reminiscent of the ÔÇÿFleabagificationÔÇÖ of classic characters which the entertainment industry is obsessed with at the moment; it was truly one of the better uses of it with quick glances and quips to the audience which always inspired laughter amongst us.
IÔÇÖd invite theatre fans of all ages, whether welsh-speaking or not, Shakespeare fans or not, to catch A Midsummer NightÔÇÖs Dream for a night of true entertainment.