{"id":775987,"date":"2026-02-20T00:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T00:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/775987\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T00:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T00:40:18","slug":"a-midsummer-nights-dream-review-leeds-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/775987\/","title":{"rendered":"A Midsummer Night’s Dream \u2013 Review \u2013 Leeds Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

By Hazel Davis, February 2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s really hard bringing a fresh take to something that\u2019s all fresh takes. Puck\u2019s a punk, Puck\u2019s a girl (to be fair most of the Puck\u2019s I\u2019ve seen have been girls), Puck\u2019s an alien, Puck\u2019s a dog, Puck\u2019s French. Anyway, I was suspicious when I saw him sitting on a dining table silently eating a banana in a tutu and coat tails. Oh no, not this again. But once he looked up with his Joker makeup and smiled, my fears melted away.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know the story, Helena loves Demetrius, he doesn\u2019t love her back, Lysander loves Hermia, Hermia loves him back. But Hermia\u2019s father (Theseus) wants her to marry Demetrius not Lysander. All fine. Anyway they all run away to escape. While they\u2019re in the woods, the naughty Puck puts spells on them all so both boys fall in love with Hermia, and so on.<\/p>\n

Aaaaanyway. This production \u2013 from Leeds Playhouse, Shakespeare<\/a>\u2019s Globe and Headlong, with Bristol<\/a> Old Vic \u2013 rips up the rulebook once again. I know they say that every time but they did this time (I can\u2019t spoil the ending but let\u2019s just say you need to keep an open mind).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hedydd Dylan as Hippolyta, Tiwa Lade as Hermia and David Olaniregun as Lysander<\/p>\n

\u201cElectric\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream is a licence to have a forest, magical music and dream sequences. This is a stark black and white Kubrick-inspired set with shiny floors and sleek hairdos. It\u2019s all horror themes and menacing music. It\u2019s a risk to meddle with everyone\u2019s expected whimsy but it really pays off here.<\/p>\n

Hermia (Tiwa Lade) and Lysander (David Olaniregun) make a lovely couple and you really root for them. Lade\u2019s comic timing is excellent and her acting naturalistic. But poor old Helena (Tara Tijani) is cast aside by Demetrius, played brilliantly and manically by the James Acaster-like Lou Jackson. The foursome are engaging and pleasant to watch. Tijani\u2019s Helena is angry rather than piteous but the chemistry between her and Demetrius is electric.<\/p>\n

Against this competent backdrop and against Hedydd Dylan\u2019s passionate Hyppolita\/Titania, Michael Marcus\u2019s Theseus\/Oberon is a bit of a let-down, his acting a bit shouty and his eyebrow raising a bit more Brush Strokes than King of the Fairies. Back to Puck. Sergo Vares was naughty and arch and a little bit menacing. I was totally enthralled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hedydd Dylan as Titania, Michael Marcus as Oberon.<\/p>\n

\u201cHilarious\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bottom (another of those \u201cOh whatever will they do next?\u201d characters) could have gone either way. He\u2019s usually a pitiful character, made to look (literally) an ass and humiliated in the forest. When the spell has worn off and Titania reminds him how repulsive he is we are supposed to feel repulsion for the poor fool. But Danny Kirrane (the star of the show) handled the role just brilliantly, with excellent comic timing and hilarious asides, dropping \u201cJesus Christ\u201ds and \u201cthis is a sh*thole\u201d in here and there in a way that didn\u2019t feel like it was just for the sake of being down with the youth. He was so good I was irritated at Titania for not fancying him, despite my 13-year-old whispering, \u201cI bet he was really annoying in rehearsals though\u201d.<\/p>\n

It would be remiss of me to say anything about the ending other than I bet Shakespeare would have bloody loved it. Brace yourself, though, I\u2019m guessing not everyone will.<\/p>\n

\u2018A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u2019 is at Leeds Playhouse<\/a> until 28th February
images: Helen Murray<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hazel Davis( Writer )<\/p>\n

Hazel Davis lives in West Yorkshire and has been a journalist for most of the UK national newspapers and many magazines, cutting her teeth on a classical music magazine. She\u2019s the lead singer in a country band (Mustard County), plays trumpet in a wind band and big band and cornet in a brass band. When she\u2019s not playing music or writing about it, she\u2019s usually thinking about it.<\/p>\n

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