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By
Felicity
Heaton
As
the actors take to their stage in the serene setting of Headington
Hill Park, against the backdrop of trees and the slowly sinking
sun, we are immediately transported to a magical place.
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| Picture
from the production - Oberon, Titania and Puck |
The
story unfolds quickly, pulling us in as we are shown the plight
of Hermia; a young Athenian whose father, Egeus, has decided will
marry Demetrius rather than her true love Lysander. Egeus comes
to beg Theseus and his bride-to-be Hippolyta to make his daughter
marry Demetrius, but Theseus tells her she must decide for herself
between death and marriage to the man her father has chosen.
Not
content with her lot, Hermia plans with Lysander to escape Athens
and marry. They tell Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, of their
scheme and she tells him in turn. All four players head into the
woods and the fairies come out to play.
The
tall fairy king, Oberon, and his equally as tall queen, Titania,
are not on good terms. Oberon, angry with Titania, asks his faithful
aide, Puck, to fetch him a flower that will make her fall instantly
in love with the first thing she sees-hoping this will be a beast.
Whilst waiting for Puck's return, he decides to meddle in Demetrius'
life too and declares that he will fall under a spell and return
fair Helena's love.
When
Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius, and turns the weaver, Bottom,
into an ass, all hell breaks loose and it is down to Oberon, now
tired of his mischief, to fix the mess and ensure that a happy ending
prevails.
The
actors play their parts beautifully, mixing the old words of Shakespeare
with modern day stilt walking and slight of hand, lending just the
right amount of magic to this fairy tale. There is enough love and
laughter to keep everyone happy, especially at the end when there
is a short play held in the honour of Theseus and Hippolyta's nuptials
and it turns into a comedy.
By
far the most enthralling characters are the comedic genius of Bottom,
along with the mischievous fairy king Oberon and the sprightly Puck,
whose attempt to make the course of true love run smooth almost
ends in disaster.
Overall,
there's nothing more perfect than spending a beautiful midsummer
night indulging in a glorious dream like this one. In the immortal
words of Shakespeare himself: a merrier hour was never wasted there.
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