Shakespeare can often feel dry, overdone, and awkward – his comedies even more so. Yet director Pauline Eller has outdone herself in crafting a fresh, vibrant, and frankly gorgeous production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Lighting designer Angus Cha and CLX Chris Wordsworth have created a lighting rig that is one of the most innovative and beautiful I have seen on the ADC stage (and I have seen a lot). I would say more, but it deserves to be seen in the flesh to be truly appreciated.

Eller had a strong vision, which is evident from the first scene. Her decision to switch the genders of Oberon (Alice Roberts) and Helena – in this version ‘Helenus’ (played by Ebenezer Boakye) – adds significant depth to the play. The fight between the fairy monarchs over a changeling suddenly makes more sense, and the play’s gender binary is at once diluted and reinforced in subtle ways – such as the traditionally male Oberon wearing a dress, whilst Titania (Lucy Miller) dons a suit. The decision to make Helenus male is massively to Eller’s credit. It gave Boakye’s speech on love an added layer of insecurity and meant that the flight of Demetrius (Enyioma Anosike) from Helenus was tinged with a subtext of internalised homophobia and desperation to fulfil a heteronormative role.

“One of the strongest aspects of the production was the comedy itself”

One of the strongest aspects of the production was the comedy itself. I have never cried with laughter at Shakespeare before, but the physical comedy of Sameera Bowers (in her role as Quince) alongside Margaret Saunderson’s dual portrayals of Puck and Thisbe quickly changed that. That’s not to overlook H Sneyd’s performance as Bottom, who deserved every laugh they got from the crowd. Even Joe Orrell’s Theseus made for a surprisingly funny addition to the final act; I found myself watching his facial reactions almost as much as the play-within-a-play itself.

Wringing maximum comic effect, as this production does in parts, comes at the expense of some occasional disjointure. As a case in point, in the first act, Eller goes the other way at first – the interactions between Orrell’s Theseus and Hermia (Sam Ericsson) toe the line from intimidating to creepy, with him stroking her face and towering over her. It’s a carefully considered characterisation – so when, upon his reappearance after the interval, Theseus is suddenly a comedic character, I was left a bit confused by the sudden shift in interpretation.

“In 2025, can we maybe stop putting male characters on stage in plain suits?”

Miller’s Titania displayed a more consistent mix of tense and tender – her interactions with Bottom extended Eller’s keen interest in capturing the play’s maternal trappings beautifully. Roberts, meanwhile, demonstrated great range as Oberon; as an audience, our introduction to her is as a jealous, conniving wife, but throughout the play, her desire to see the four lovers happy (and her ire at Puck) won us over.

Hermia, meanwhile, quickly became my favourite of the characters, due wholly to Sam Ericsson’s skill as an actress. Her humorous delivery was sharp, and her heartbreak equally acute. The chemistry between her and Theo Francis’ Lysander was wonderful, as was Francis’ feud with Anosike’s Demetrius, whose ability to play off other actors was a joy to watch.

The costumes themselves somewhat varied in creativity. Puck’s outfit was gorgeous, and Titania and Oberon’s worked well with the contrast between the fairy and human realms. That being said, in 2025, can we maybe stop putting male characters on stage in plain suits? Costume designer Sophie Campbell did try her best to alleviate the sameness, though – piping on blazers, colourful ties – and her efforts weren’t entirely in vain.

Overall, Eller has set a high bar for the rest of this term. This year’s ETG made my own mid (winter) night one of merriment and laughter, and I highly recommend it to my fellow Cambridge audiences.

‘ETG 2024: A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ toured Europe throughout December and will return for a home run at the ADC Theatre from Tuesday 21 January to Saturday 25 January at 7:45pm, with a matinee at 2:30pm on the Saturday.

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