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A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewA Midsummer Night's Dream
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The fairy land buys not the child of me
His mother was a votress of my order, And in the spiced Indian air, by night, Full often hath she gossip'd by my side, And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, Marking the embarked traders on the flood; ---- Titania |
Cast of fairies
(Photo: Tristram Kenton)
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The sublimely careless and powerful fairies are indubitably the strongest point of this production, which is clear from the moment when they first appear, tearing their way through the paper backdrop and fighting each other with wooden poles. These athletic combat sprites are part festival and part vandal, as they cause havoc for the hapless humans and enjoy it. In a visual demonstration of the fairies' whimsical entangling of human affairs, Puck (Ajay Kumar) intricately weaves tape between the fighting lovers, so that they have to duck and leap to perpetrate their four-way squabbling.
Titania's (Archana Ramaswamy) bower is constructed with red silk drapes hanging from the Roundhouse's vast auditorium. The fairies then climb, slide, twirl and hang from them in a dazzling display of acrobatics. Titania curls up inside her drape and remains suspended there whilst the Mechanicals rehearse beneath her. She is completely enclosed like a caterpillar cocoon and seems a natural part of the unearthly Athenian forest. Oberon's (PR Jijoy) magic flower is here a capsule which is crushed into an explosion of red holi powder. Whilst its love-struck victims act outrageously under its influence, their faces remain scarred with colour.
The multilingual script includes Shakespearean English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayaam and even some ancient Sanskrit. For probably everyone, there will be incomprehensible passages, at which point it's time to focus on other elements, such as acting, movement and sound. Fortunately, these are strong enough in this imaginatively-charged production to avoid tedium. In some cases, the polyglot approach is used to specific effect. For example, when Helena (Shanaya Rafaat) argues with Demetrius (Prasanna Mahagamage) their inability to communicate is obvious as they literally speak in different languages. Overall, the linguistic kaleidoscope refreshingly purges this well-known play of its over-familiarity. Of course, for those with no prior knowledge of the play, some of the plot's lucidity might be compromised.
Perhaps because of the multilingual format, the acting is emphatic and visceral. The lovers especially express their high drama with violence and near-rapes a number of times. This interpretation is emotionally charged and vitalistic, and contrasts with the parodic way in which their near-ludicrous wrangling with misdirected desire is often played. Similarly, the royal fairies' power struggle and strict Athenian paternalistic bias are acted out with intense energy. Oberon and Titania wrestle their way across the stage in the midst of a stichomythic exchange and Hermia's father (J Jayakumar) grabs her by the throat to persuade her to marry the suitor of his choice. Only the Mechanicals do not participate with such violence, and even their less slapstick is subdued so that they provide gentler comedy within an exuberant production.
Fittingly for a production which first opened in New Delhi, it is about to embark upon an international tour, visiting cities including Delhi and Mumbai. For London audiences, the run at the Roundhouse's cavernous space is a chance to catch this celebration of intercultural fusion before it is democratically shared with the rest of the world.
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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Tim Supple Starring: PR Jijoy, Archana Ramaswamy With: Ajay Kumar, J Jayakumar, Yuki Ellias, Prasana Mahagamage, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Shanaya Rafaat, Ashwatthama DJ, Joy Fernandes, Joyraj Bhattacharya, T Gopalakrishnan, Umesh Jagtap, Jitu Shastri, Faezeh Jalali, M Palani, D Padkumar, Tapan Das, Dharminder Pawar, Lakhan Pawar, Ram Pawar Set and Costume Design: Sumant Jayakrishnan Lighting: Zuleika Chaudhari Sound: Nick Lidster Music: Devissaro Choreography: D Padmakumar and M Palani Running time: Two hours 30 minutes with one interval Box Office: 0870 389 1846 Booking to 21st April 2007 Reviewed by Charlotte Loveridge based on 13th March 2007 performance at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 (Tube: Chalk Farm) |
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