Just as it should be, Edward Hall's production is one of magic, shadows and laughter, and a gleeful sense of possibility. Working with an all-male cast, he renders the play fresh and - crucially - dreamlike all over again. I have not laughed so much, nor been so moved, in any other production.
The male cast might sound gimmicky, but doesn't feel it: you forget about gender to ponder the play's central concerns, and drink-in its ravishing visual confidence. The fairy world is full of colour (Puck looks a rather wasted new romantic in his white tutu and red-and-white-striped tights); the mechanicals are bathed in warm light and dressed like a confused barber-shop singing troupe; and the world of the court is darkly, monochromatically glacial.
A row of chairs suspended in mid-air gives Michael Pavelka's set a productive split-level feel, echoing the play's attention to two worlds - the human and fairy, the real and the dreamy. Oberon and Titania sit high above the set on what look like umpires' chairs, while below the fairies snooze in a cuddle of bodies, a soft curve of sleep. It's as if the toy cupboard really has come to life in the quiet of night, and sweet mayhem is about to break out.
In that mayhem, there are some astonishing performances. But the power of the production is as a whole, and very much in the details as much as the key scenes. This is a Dream put together by a magician. Watching it is like watching silvery glitter shimmer and fall through the air - light, sensual and rare, and totally compelling.
· Until November 8. Box office: 020 7369 1731.
