A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opera Holland Park

A charming production by historical performance ensemble Figure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an enjoyable rendition of Shakespeare’s comedy that features a lot of movement to highlight the humour, accentuated by Felix Mendelssohn’s angelic music, which was inspired by the play. While it does many things just about right, occasional technical issues sadly mar the overall experience.

It’s not very frequent nowadays that Mendelssohn’s music – the overture of which was composed when he was just 17 – is played alongside the play, but it does work well: conducted by musical director Frederick Waxman, the orchestra creates an effective soundtrack to the script. At times this can lead to a competition between hearing the music and the dialogue on stage, but it generally adds to the enjoyment of the piece.

The cast are all likeable and perform their parts well. Ray Fearon’s Oberon is a powerful, steady force to be reckoned with; Joelle Taylor’s Puck is delightfully mischievous. The four lovers – Eleanor Sutton as Helena, Emmanuel Olusanya as Lysander, Hannah Rose Caton as Hermia and Johan Munir as Demetrius – are all enchanting. Jay Mailer’s Bottom is hilariously over-the-top, although the intensity of the delivery sometimes veers towards shouting. This aspect is particularly complicated by the addition of microphones.

Speaking of which, being an outdoor theatre, it is understandable that the actors would perform with microphones. However, this does make understanding them difficult now and again, due to the prevalence of audio artefacts, of which there are not few; even worse are the occasional dropouts in pivotal moments, resulting in missed lines altogether. Though these technical issues don’t interfere with the performances themselves, they do have an impact on the audience’s general experience of the show.

Thankfully the rest of the production by director Sam Rayner is imaginative and lively. The staging is subtle, making use of Opera Holland Park’s ramped space around the orchestra in the middle. The costumes by designer Emma Hollows are beautiful: the members of Oberon’s and Titania’s court wear leaf-coloured waistcoats and dresses that are particularly apt for the setting. 

As such, Figure’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a partial success – a captivating cast with excellent comedic timing lends itself well to an entertaining evening.

Michael Higgs

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Opera Holland Park from 29^th June until 1^st July 2023. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.