ED2011 2/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (American High School Theatre Festival)

By | Published on Wednesday 31 August 2011

Inexplicably, many high school students struggle to find anything funny in Shakespeare’s comedies, so it’s to this young troupe’s credit that they play their version very much for laughs, revelling in the silliness of the “weak and idle theme”. There are good performances, too, but despite the energy and evident understanding of the text, they’re an uneven ensemble. This fact is made clearer by some odd directorial choices and a debilitating failure to rein in the cast’s tendency towards comic overacting and slapstick – there are only so many knees to the groin you can comfortably watch. While this couldn’t be described as a dream, at least the cast don’t seem like they’re sleepwalking.

Church Hill Theatre, 19 – 23 Aug (not 20), times vary, £5.00, fpp281.
tw rating 2/5
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