All the words are there. The pacing is appropriate. That is where it stops. From here the presentation deviates with an overlay of a minor observer that smirks as he views the scenes.
Only occasionally moving a play to a different time or place can it keep its magic? This presentation is of no real-time or place but seems to have borrowed from the junk leftover from previous plays, containing part stage and part Victorian England, with a dash of Alice in Wonderland.
Lots of nice colors and music. However, everyone goes around kissing everyone but the person they should be kissing; you can call it artistic license but I call it a distraction for the purpose or base story. For those people that do not like the introduction of bicycles and nudity as in another version, take heart as there is no nudity or bicycles. The bicycles are replaced with Mary Poppins-type umbrellas. O. K I lied there is the E. T. bicycle scene, motorcycles with sidecars motorcycles.
Usually, this tail is played out by well-known actors so I must confess that even though this is the Royal Shakespeare Company production I do not recognize anyone.
One big missing part is where Nick Bottom is transferred into a donkey. Too bad as that is one of the best parts. He just pops put with ears and teeth. That is like showing Hamlet without Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
You need to watch any other production before this one as "Who would not change a raven for a dove?"
Lindsay Duncan as Hippolyta/Titania
Alex Jennings as Theseus/Oberon
Desmond Barrit as Nick Bottom
Barry Lynch as Puck/Philostrate
The Lovers:
Hermia - Monica Dolan
Demetrius - Kevin Doyle
Lysander - Daniel Evans
Helena - Emily Raymond
Egeus - Alfred Burke
The boy - Osheen Jones.
