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Fey and ferocious
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Midsummer Night’s Dream was a manic magic mix of movement and language
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SPECTACLE The action is perfectly in sync with the words
When the fairies ripped the paper screens and descended on stage, shrieking and clicking sticks, it was what one would call “a money shot” in our celluloid-dominated age. The two-and-a-half hour long performance of “A Midsummer Nigh
t’s Dream” was as electric as the best of Bollywood. Watching the morning show at Chowdiah Memorial Hall with school children walking to their seats in neat, orderly crocodiles, took the experience to a whole new level as the play swept everyone — young and old, cynical and romantic into its magic, mystic, frenetic, frantic world.
One has to forget all preconceived notions. Fairies are not sparkly little creatures flying over hill and dale on shiny gossamer wings. They are lithe, sinuous spirits of the wood — shifting from playful to dangerous in the blink of an eye. The fact that the play is in several languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil does not hinder understanding at all as the action is perfectly in sync with the words.
The sets and costumes by Sumant Jayakrishnan are jaw-droppingly beautiful. How do earth, paper, brilliant red sashes, ropes and poles combine to create visions of such beauty? There surely is magic in the air!
The cast ably contribute to the glorious spectacle. The mythic and supernatural are toggled with the king of fairies, Oberon and Theseus played with rock star glamour by P. R. Jijoy while sensuous Archana Ramaswamy plays the fairy queen Titania as well as the captured Amazon queen Hippolyta.
Ajay Kumar as master of revels Philostrate and the mischievous Puck trips lightly amongst the foolish mortals. He is at once naughty, lovable, dangerous, Machiavellian and polite to a fault. Joy Fernandes excels as Bottom.
All theatre lovers must be thankful to the British Council for bringing this magnificent show to town.
Director Tim Supple with his mind-altering vision ensures that you would look at the Bard with new eyes and especially see through all the bowdlerisation those fun-spoiling Victorians indulged in.
M.A.C.
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