A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Presented by: Dandenong Theatre Company

Venue: Drum Theatre, Dandenong
Reviewer: Catherine Brain
Date Reviewed: Saturday 17^th October 2009

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is probably one of Shakespeare’s most well known (and widely performed) comedies, and it has been translated from stage to screen in numerous adaptations. Many Melbournians (and several of the DTC cast) have fond memories of experiencing Dream during a summer evening in the Royal Botanical Gardens…the ideal setting for this magical tale.

Dream weaves three different stories together, and takes the audience from the hustle and bustle of Athens to the deep woods where fairies and nymphs work their mischief. It is a tale of infatuation and desire, filled with romantic twists and turns and (as one would expect with a Shakespearian comedy) a range of hilarious misunderstandings. At the heart of the tale are four young Athenian lovers, who are trying to challenge the expected course of their ‘true love’. Throw into the mix a troupe of amateur actors (labourers by trade), who are rehearsing a piece to perform at the wedding of Duke Theseus to Hippolyta. The lovers escape into the forest to seek refuge from their plight, as the troupe escape to find a quiet place to rehearse. Along the way, they all fall prey to the whim of the rulers of the fairy kingdom deep in the moonlit forest….who are deep in a ‘battle’ of their own.

There was a small but supportive audience at the Drum Theatre to enjoy Dream, and while they took time to get into the performance they certainly seemed to enjoy the production. There is nothing harder than presenting a comedy to an audience who aren’t laughing where you expect them to. Still, the cast persevered and kept working the audience, and should all be commended for maintaining such a high level of energy throughout.

The DTC production team have created a simple set for the opening scenes in Athens, which is layered as the players move further and further into the woods. A range of vines, flowers and lights were used with good effect to create the stillness and mystical atmosphere where fairies and nymphs to appear to work their mischief. The sound design complemented this concept with more layers, providing contrast between the woods and the Athenian scenes in turn. I think the sound design was appropriate, but the level hampered some of the cast. I struggled to hear some of the dialogue in the opening scenes, which is an opportunity to either revisit the balance or to encourage some of the cast to project more effectively.

Colin Morley has taken on an ambitious project for his directorial debut, but has assembled a supportive team to bring his Dream to life. Many of his cast (including himself) juggled both performance and production roles, which is all an inevitable part of community theatre but a risky move. Morley’s direction was simple and effective, with good use of the space that he created. Morley has encouraged a real physical presentation of the story which resulted in lots of leaping and exaggerated movement, which was lovely to watch. There were moments, however, where the delivery of dialogue became restrictive and a little repetitive in comparison. The blocking and pacing of characters became quite predictable, and some characters didn’t seem comfortable with their gestures and pacing.

Morley has fostered a great dynamic within his cast, which helped to produce some really genuine exchanges between the key players. There were lovely moments between Helena and Demetrius, Oberon and Titania, and Hermia and Lysander. There was also a tendency in parts to go straight for the more obvious (and sometimes cheap) laughs, which detracted from the need to tell the story. An example was the very physical confrontation between Demetrius and Lysander…which started out brilliantly but deteriorated into wedgies and nipple cripples. All very entertaining to watch, but it distracted the audience from some of the meaty dialogue being delivered by Hermia and Helena.

As a side note, I would have liked to have seen a more consistent approach taken to pace and diction across the entire cast. There were some passages that were disrupted by the presence of some very strong Aussie accents, with an obvious ‘twang’. The pace of delivery by many of the cast members was rushed, particularly in the early scenes. While the energy and enthusiasm of their portrayal was spot on, the speed of their delivery during made it difficult to follow all of the twists and turns of the plot – definitely something to watch.

I think that the entire ensemble worked together and I was impressed at the consistent level of energy they displayed. There were a few stand-outs for me on the night, and with a cast of twenty performers I’m sure that everyone in the audience had their own favourites. Jhess Knight (Helena) delivered a strong performance, and displayed great comic timing as she fended off the competing advances of Demetrius and Lysander. She allowed her Helena to ride the roller-coaster of emotions, and I enjoyed seeing her contrast between the vulnerable and almost vicious. Michael Voss (Oberon) and Benjamin Burn (Puck) created some great moments on stage together, and managed to engage the audience effectively. Voss created the right balance of power with a hint of playfulness with his Oberon (making him dark but not too dark), while Burn created a cheeky and whimsical Puck and had the audience chuckling along as he worked his magic on the unsuspecting Athenians (and the Queen of the Fairies). Matt Caton (Bottom) was both entertaining and endearing, and hammed it up in his final performance to the Duke. His delivery was natural, and he displayed effortless comedic timing. Great work also by Paul Mercuri (Demetrius), Tim Blencowe (Quince), Kym Davies (Titania) and Andrew McCrorey (Thesius).

With an ensemble of this size, there are so many performances that can either make or break a show. I was impressed with some of the minor players in Dream, who may have only had small roles but managed to make them memorable. Sarah Jowitt (Snout) made an impressive and sturdy wall; Daniel S’Aguir (Flute) worked that pink dress and blue eye shadow well; Rachel Negus (Snug) roared brilliantly; and Megan Connelly (Mustardseed) was without a doubt the cheekiest of all of the fairies.

Overall, I think that DTC have produced an entertaining production of Dream, which will no doubt keep the DTC audience entertained for the remainder of its season.

 Peter is an award winning actor and director, who has been haunting various community theatre companies for over 20 years. A graduate of the infamous Rusden Drama School, Peter has also been seen onstage at the Melbourne Comedy and Fringe Festivals, and is well known in Melbourne's impro scene. He has been an in-house adjudicator for many of Melbourne's top community theatre companies, and completed a three year stint as an adjudicator for the VDL Awards. Peter is also in demand as a writer, reviewer and host.

Back To Reviews