The Unicorn theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company have joined forces for a new accessible adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, co-directed by Rachel Bagshaw and Robin Belfield. The production trims the Bard’s romantic comedy while preserving the original language, integrating playful captions and slapstick comedy. It is a fun, if occasionally cluttered, experience that marks the Unicorn’s first major co-production with the RSC.
The framing story in Athens, involving dukes and betrothals, has been cut but not entirely removed, which can make it harder to follow. The magical elements are kept low-key, with Titania’s fairies conjured through childlike voiceovers, Holly Khan’s delicate soundscape, and Will Monks’ entrancing word projections that dance across Lily Arnold’s arts-and-crafts set. Joséphine-Fransilja Brookman’s Puck is an impish schoolkid, climbing balconies and jumping on tyre swings.
The most enjoyable scenes feature the rude mechanicals rehearsing their terrible play, with a CBeebies panto feel, neon costumes, and energetic gags. The ensemble adeptly switches from heartsick lovers to hammy actors. Boni Adeliyi shines as the spurned Helena, dignified in sorrow yet fully committed to a silly moon role. Emmy Stonelake is the standout as Bottom, a natural comic and talented Shakespearean who raises big laughs without sacrificing the language. Their performance encapsulates the production’s best qualities: Shakespeare made easy, layered, and moving.
