11:21am Friday 19th February 2010
By Liza-Jane Gillespie
AFTER 10 years the Tobacco Factory and Shakespeare continue to be a winning formula.
The current run of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no exception and has the audience laughing from start to finish.
The play begins with Athens preparing for the marriage of its Duke Theseus, to Queen of the Amazon, Hippolyta.
Enter two young lovers, Hermia and Lysander, who are forbidden to marry because Hermia’s father would rather she accepted the hand of Demetrius, who himself is being chased by the determined Helena, who longs for his affections.
Then you have Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies, who are having their own lovers’ tiff.
Throw into the mix a group of Athenian tradesman trying to rehearse a play for the duke’s wedding and you have a plot line with more twists, turns and misunderstandings than perhaps thought possible.
The cast do a sterling job. Yet again Jay Villiers does not disappoint and commands the audience’s attention from scene one, where he plays Theseus, right through the play, where he also takes on the role as Oberon.
There are excellent comedic performances by Rebecca Pownall, as heartbroken Helena, and Chris Donnelly, as would-be actor Nick Bottom.
However, it was Byron Mondhal who stole the show as Francis Flute and his interpretation of playing a brick wall, which triggered tears of laughter from almost all of the audience.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at the Tobacco Factory until Saturday, March 20.
For more information visit, www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/trade_directory/