This is nonsense. What are actors of Maxine Peake's calibre doing in a misconstrued, overwrought, inept production like this. I was shocked when I saw this as the BBC usually has a good grasp on Elizabethan theatre but not this time. Avoid it! The Storm troopers are more than an anachronism; the forest scenes and the fairies seem to be at odds with each other; the lovers don't seem to understand the consequences of running from Athens away from "the sharp Athenian law"; Bottom's dream isn't one; the mechanicals are just that, mechanical; and Titania and Oberon seem to be discussing a shopping list over a pint for most of their interaction. In the year of the 400th anniversary of his death I would have hoped the the BeeB would have produced something more satisfying than this forgettable Midsummer Night's fiasco.
Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream
