Midsummer Night's Dream review at Shakespeare's Globe London

The Globe is a magical space. A junction of ages past and present. Where you just might imagine seeing sprites from theatrical performances of Burbage and even Shakespeare himself. But of course, today’s Globe is a recreation of the open-air theatre that stood nearby on the banks of Thames over 400 years ago. Lovingly reimagined and truly wondrous. A more fitting setting for the Bard’s fantastical play is hard to dream up.

On entering the auditorium, gentle pandemonium awaits. Invited audience members are on stage, delivering famous soliloquies, giving their best against the fierce hubbub of the awaiting crowd. They seem to be auditioning for a part in an amateur play. Next to them a band is playing, accompanying yet more audience members doing a modern dance routine.

There are players in amongst those standing in front of the stage. The hurly-burly is just as it might have been when this play was first attended. There are even real volunteer security guards, there to kindly keep order but also perhaps to spot rogues, rascals and cut-purses.

Involvement of the audience is a constant theme during the play, giving it a joyous and pantomimic texture. We sing, we link arms, we throw confetti. Some fellow audience members even feature on stage, in costume, guided by actors feeding them lines to say and things to do. And it’s not by chance of course.

The director, Emily Lim, expounds the virtues of community involvement in her work. And our involvement in the show is all the more fitting as the plot of Midsummer Night’s Dream features a rag-tag troupe of local amateur actors, putting on a play within the play. It was for this troupe that the audience was seemingly auditioning before the play started. A nice touch. There is folk music, physical theatre and dancing. And a lot of laughing. Not what you might be expecting from a Shakespeare.

The central plot concerns two sets of human lovers who for one night are beguiled and tricked by the more supernatural inhabitants of a magical forest. The hobgoblin Puck, played with incomparable charm and wit by Michael Grady-Hall, makes free with a flower able to enchant with a love potion. It enraptures the humans.

Allegiances are switched; ardours are misaligned. Puck further creates havoc by changing one of the local actors, Bottom, played wonderfully by Adrian Richards, into a donkey. He then again uses the magical flower on the Queen of the Fairies, Titania, who becomes enthralled by the first thing she sees…the same donkey.

As is well known, in Shakespeare’s time the stage was allowed only for male actors; men playing both male and female characters. In this production, this was delightfully subverted by Mel Lowe playing the traditionally male role, Lysander. Thus to the audience’s eyes, the lovers reflected both straight and lesbian relationships. Even Puck, having had a mishap showering himself with his enchanting flower, fell head over heels with the next person he saw… an audience member called Steve, who then featured throughout the rest of the show.

The scenes take place amongst the architecture of the theatre. The design by Aldo Vázquez, which features statuary and fine floral embellishments, adorns the Globe but never upstages it. It all looks beautiful. The performances were fresh and fun. As the acoustics are a challenge in the open air, those with voices particularly good at projecting were more easily appreciated. The audience was quiet as a mouse, being as enthralled as those on stage, always a telling sign.

As the play resolves, wrongs are righted, lovers reunited. The real magic of the Globe reveals itself. As the sun sets on the open-air theatre and the internal lighting gradually becomes apparent, a warm glow embraces all present as we are led in a final song by the cast. All are singing and the actor Em Prendergast - last seen in the excellent play Barrier(s) at the Camden People’s Theatre - is signing in BSL.

Our hopes are that whoever we are, we can all be restored from the delusions of the Midsummer Night’s Dream. A play that was written in the time of a global pandemic, when censorship was rife, and presaged a time of religious puritanism. As we look around the world today, perhaps this is food for thought. It’s not called the Globe for nothing.

This Midsummer Night’s Dream is a wonderful riot that, although hundreds of years old, has at its heart Widow Twanky and the Last Night of the Proms. Couldn’t be more British. Not to be missed.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is at Shakespeare's Globe, London.

Dates: 23 April - 29 August 2026.

Tickets at shakespearesglobe.com