This week at MAST Mayflower Studios is The Everyman Theatre Company’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. This is Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it before… and it’s just totally mental. Known as being Shakespeare’s silliest comedy, this retelling of his play is exactly that. Shakespeare is renowned for being long winded, for the use of Old English, and for being quite confusing. This play was two out of those three things. Old English? Yup. Confusing? Definitely. Long winded? Surprisingly no. Director Paul Milton has done a great job at condensing all of these intertwined story lines, whilst keeping the ‘heritage’ of Shakespeare as well as the attention of the audience. 

I’ve got to be honest and say that I didn’t have a clue about the story of this Shakespeare play. It was one that I never learnt about, so hadn’t bothered to read either. So, understandably, I was apprehensive that I wouldn’t understand the story as well as if I had done some research before hand. However I’ve left being able to confidently tell you the basics of this story – so it’s done its job!

They all had me laughing out loud.

The acting is meant to be fun, silly, and slapstick so you know exactly what to expect. As soon as the show started, I kept thinking that these gags may be a bit too silly for me. That was until I also found myself laughing at them a couple of minutes later. As a quick (very basic) synopsis, four Athenians travel to the forest only for chaos and comedy to collide, swapping lovers oh and there’s also a play involved (I’m sorry, I told you it was very basic!).

The cast were brilliant. As I mentioned, when the show first started I thought, oh god this is going to be too slapstick for me, but thanks to their performances they all had me laughing out loud. It was only a small cast, with 10 people all being multi-charactered actors. All of their movements and facial expressions, as well as their timing when performing their lines, made the use of old English so much easier to consume.

Paul Milton’s vision brought to fruition perfectly. Comedic timing was paramount to the success of these physical and spoken gags, and once again they were spot on. Jeremy Stockwell as ‘Puck’ and the clown Tweedy as ‘Bottom’ shared a fantastic bond on stage. A lot of the laughs came from these two – Tweedy’s brilliant slapstick comedy in particular. But I also need to give a quick shout out to Oliver Brooks (‘Lysander/Starvling/Moth’) and Laura Noble (‘Helena/Flute/Mustardseed’). These were the two that I laughed at the most especially in the play within the play at the end (more on this later). Oliver had me in literal tears in his portrayal of the moon. Just amazing! 

The set was actually beautifully crafted. There were only a few flats and it was very simple, but mixed with the coloured lighting it looked great. There’s not much else that can really be said from the set, but keep an eye out for a very realistic looking horse… 

It was also nice to hear an original song in there, showcasing the actors’ skillset yet again. Costumes were surprisingly detailed considering that they were being changed every 5 minutes. As for the LED gowns/dresses – they also fit right in!

This is truly a Shakespeare for everybody.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was almost completely lost during act 1. I could follow along with roughly what was happening, and it was the comedy and silliness that allowed this. Without it, I think I’d still be scratching my head now. By act 2, everything fell into place and clicked. I instantly understood everything that was going on in act 1, and it felt like this huge payoff had come around. The play within the play, ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’, was hands down the highlight of the evening for me however. I was actually crying from laughter at times. If you’re looking for a laugh, look no further. 

To round up, yes this was confusing (temporarily), but it all became clear in the end. Was it fun? Without a doubt! Was it funny? Yes, hilarious. As soon as people see the name ‘William Shakespeare’ I think they panic and instantly get flashbacks back to school. I know I did! But I think what this production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ has done is taken that stigma away from it. This is truly a Shakespeare for everybody. The aficionados and the novices. As one of my friends said, it’s basically the pantomime of Shakespeare, and I couldn’t agree more (thanks Steve!). ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is at MAST Mayflower Studios until Saturday and they then end their tour in Coventry afterwards. I wish all of the cast and crew the best of luck with the rest of their run. 

Would you kiss the fish? Coming straight from the West End, the multi award winning ‘Come From Away’ has landed right on the edge of this island in Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre for the week. This musical has won four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical (in London), and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (on Broadway) – and my only question is, HOW HAS IT NOT WON MORE?! I never got around to watching this show when it was in London, and now I’m kicking myself because this is just the most beautiful, wholesome, heartfelt story. Literally the perfect musical (big claim I know!). For a new musical to rise straight to the top and bump shoulders with some of the more veteran musicals, there needed to be something new evolving the way that theatre is performed. I think ‘Come From Away’ has found this evolution.

This musical is perfect.

If you’re unaware of the plot of this musical, it shares the incredible story of the 7,000 passengers of 38 planes who were grounded in Canada during the wake of 9/11. The small Newfoundland community invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives and this is the true story of what happened. Being from an era that doesn’t remember 9/11, all we ever got told about it was the event itself. Stories like this are true beacons of real hope in this world, and having not really known about it prior to this musical, I think it just shows the power of theatre doesn’t it? Writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein have brought this beautiful story to life through an inspiring original songbook with tonnes of comedy. Director Christopher Ashley is well deserved of that Tony Award because the movement in this musical is immaculate and it elevates this performance both physically and emotionally. 

This touring cast is magical! There are 12 people in this cast, but from the numbers I mentioned above you’re probably thinking how do 12 people portray a story of nearly 20,000 people? Well, each member of this cast plays multiple different characters all in the same space. This is done via a change in accent, hat, coat – and it is just seamless. When I looked in the programme before the show, I was nervous when reading that all of the cast play multiple characters. This is usually incredibly different to differentiate between characters and it can get extremely confusing. However that is just not the case here. The award winning direction has been shown perfectly by this cast and I almost have no notes except wow! It goes without saying that the layered singing and poetic speech was gorgeous, almost so gorgeous that I don’t think that I can single out any individual cast member. Everybody brought the perfect amount of energy and comedic timing, and you can just feel the bonds that these actors share on stage. It feels like you’re literally just watching a group of friends doing what they love. 

The set was very simple. In a show about planes, you would expect to see one right? Well you don’t, but you also don’t need to. The set is exactly as you see it, a few chairs and a couple of desks that get rearranged to show different places/show different scenes. Again, this all ties in to how brilliant the direction of the show is. The lighting was also extremely effective. There were some spotlights on the trees and the coloured backdrop also helped in changing the setting. The use of spotlights to signify who was telling the audience the story was also brilliant. You knew exactly what was going on from narration to speech! Simplistic, but so so good! 

Go and see this show. Just go!

The score and original songbook are also so uplifting. The band are situated on stage, hidden within the trees and they are superb! From the moment the musical starts, to the moment it ends you will be nodding along with them. I literally caught myself tapping my feet within the opening number. The lyrics are perfectly crafted and you best believe that the soundtrack is going to be on repeat for the rest of the week (at least). There’s a couple of moments where the band come on stage playing their instruments. They become a part of the story, their own characters if you will, and the way they interact with each other and the other actors just makes you feel good. It’s indescribable but the music just makes you feel warm. It may be down to the fact that they aren’t using the average ‘musical theatre’ instruments – but I love this! 

This musical is perfect. For such a tough subject, you leave feeling so inspired and warm. This is usually the section of my review where I give a split of the acts, but this show is all one act. It’s 100 minutes of pure entertainment, that feels like only 60. Everything about this musical from the story, to the acting, to the music, and the overall production value is flawless. It’s quoted that this show gets audiences up on their feet night after night, and that was proven tonight. In fact I have never seen such a fast and full standing ovation I think ever. This is one of those shows that you feel like you have so much to talk about, that you’re instead rendered speechless (it makes sense in my head). I think all that’s left to say is go and see this show. Just go! I’m already trying to plan when I can go back now. ‘Come From Away’ is in Southampton until Saturday before carrying on with its UK tour. This is a MUST see! I wish everybody involved in this show the greatest success going forward. I can see the awards coming for this tour already! 

The Welsh National Opera (WNO) is back at Mayflower Theatre with their second piece of their Spring collection in the all new ‘Così fan tutte’. Technically speaking, ‘Così’ (as I’ll call it from now on), is an opera composed by Mozart that was first performed in 1790. WNO’s production is a completely new and updated twist on this – and I think it was the right one. Alternatively named, ‘The School For Lovers’, this version of ‘Così’ is set in the 70s following four sixth formers discovering what falling in love is and all the emotions that come with it. ‘Così fan tutte’ literally translates to “So do they all”, using the feminine plural (tutte) to indicate women. This basically paints all you need to know about this opera and in hindsight is incredibly important. 

I’m starting to understand opera more and more, and in particular how WNO keep things fresh in trying to open opera’s doors to the masses. I think this adaptation shows this more than any of their productions I’ve seen so far. This Italian sung opera is said to be the perfect ensemble opera with six different roles almost equal in weight and performance, without an individual ‘leading lady’. As always, the show is accompanied with English surtitles and leaving the theatre I remember thinking that this is the first opera that I haven’t struggled to follow along with once. I always read a brief synopsis of the story before hand, and I think I would have still been able to follow along perfectly if I hadn’t done that. This is all thanks to the clarity in how the story is both set, told and directed – something director, Max Hoehn, should take high credit for. 

Outstanding overall.

The way in which they have adapted this story is actually extremely clever. Reading about it before hand, all I could think was how dated and cringe worthy this was going to be – and don’t get me wrong, the themes and some of the things they were saying still definitely were. BUT, in the context of a 70s sixth form, it made so much more sense. It slowly became more relatable and more acceptable in its satirical form. To try and give some context to my review and summarise extremely briefly: Four students are given a valuable lesson in love, life and liberty when their teacher involves them in a secret experiment. Testing the limits of their love in a bet of temptation, the boyfriends leave and come back disguised to see if each others partners stay loyal to them or not. Yes, it is just as weird as it sounds. 

As I’ve mentioned, the cast comprises of six people (and WNO’s brilliant chorus). As WNO have stated, ‘Così’ is probably Mozart’s opera that is most dependant on the chemistry of its performers, and their performers have smashed it. Making their WNO debuts were Kayleigh Decker as ‘Dorabella’, Egor Zhuravski as ‘Ferrando’, and José Fardilha as ‘Don Alfonso’. They were joining Sophie Bevan as ‘Fiordiligi’, James Atkinson as ‘Guglielmo’, and Rebecca Evans as ‘Despina’. Decker, Zhuravski, Bevan, and Atkinson were amazing as the sticky quad relationship. It goes without saying that their voices were just incredible, usually in operas there is a majority of individual singing but some of the harmonies I heard tonight were pitch perfect. As well as this, the emotions that they portrayed when they weren’t singing was amazing, something that really helped the story flow along so easily. The comedy and chemistry between them all was incredibly natural. I also really like that in Act 2, they all had their individual time to shine with big solos. Just amazing! Fardilha and Evans were also a fantastic comedy duo, that almost acted as the ‘voice of reason’, but also not in some crazy way. When WNO’s chorus came into play, there was a huge sense of musical theatre which heightened the whole value of the opera.  Outstanding overall.

As for the set, it was actually very good! Reminiscent of a musical in many ways. The main bulk of the set was a 70s school classroom, with a heightened stage and chalkboard that slides to reveal a canteen. Not to forget those nostalgic wooden wall bars that I’m sure we all remember! Along with this were some brilliantly crude flats featuring modern day nods to phallic and sexual culture – we all know what the cherry and grapefruit mean…  The moving pieces of set, like the lockers and desks were again very reminiscent of a modern musical and it worked with what they were going for. The lighting design was also very simple, but very effective. The change in colour to show emotion as well as day/night was very clever – and especially effective coming through the windows at the top, to only lighting half the stage creating the effect of a real window. The whole locker scene was also just bonkers, but in a good way!

WNO are smashing it and I can’t wait for their next instalment.

I’ve mentioned already how some of the language used throughout the opera was dated and would definitely not cut it in today’s day and age. I stand by this even if put in a comedic way through context. But if you were to take it out, you’d completely miss the point of the story. You have to remember that it’s from the 18th Century so it’s not going to be politically correct today. Saying this however, there was so much about this opera that I really enjoyed. For one, the comedy used was brilliant. The mixture of physical, slapstick, clever scripting/timing and subtle fourth wall breaks – all brilliant! There was a particular point when they used the chalkboard to draw a boat with two stick men waving, and the use of irony was staged and timed to perfection. I also really liked all of the whisper lines where they’re meant to be talking to themselves, but in effect are talking to the audience instead. 

As always, the wonderful WNO orchestra played out some of Mozart’s most ravishing music headed by conductor, Tomáš Hanus. A live orchestra can heighten any story, and WNO do it perfectly. ’Così fan tutte’ is an opera that is over three hours long. This is enough to put anybody off, and I was really worried that you would be aware of how long it was going on as well. However, it flew by just like watching a movie. I actually wrote in my notes: come act 2, you had forgotten it was an opera and you were now instead watching the wildest, weirdest, and whackiest romcom of all time. There were more twists and turns than a rollercoaster or series of Friends (sorry for the cliché!). One major thing that I’ve taken from this production is that WNO are smashing it and I can’t wait for their next instalments. If you get the chance to watch ‘Così’ before it finishes for the season you cannot skip it, but if you don’t get the chance – find out when WNO are coming to a theatre near you and try open your eyes to an opera. You won’t regret it!