No language barrier... A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Acted out by a Sri Lankan and Indian cast and featuring no fewer than seven different languages, Tim Supple's sensational and sexy version of the play incorporates song, dance and acrobatics.
It is kicking off a national and international tour with a six-week residency in London and the opening night at the reopened Roundhouse certainly wowed the critics. Benedict Nightingale of the Times said it was the most original take on Shakespeare's famous comedy "since Peter Brook tackled the play in 1970".
Elsewhere it was a case of four star reviews all round, with most of these reading like five. Our own Michael Billington was bowled over by the "visually ravishing recreation of the play" and struck by Supple's ability to bring out the "demonic otherness" of the Athenian wood. Billington's only worry was the acoustically-challenged nature of the Roundhouse's high ceiling. But Nicholas de Jongh, writing for the Evening Standard, praised the venue, crowning it "an ideal arts centre for the 21st century" that "forges a fresh, intimate relationship between actors and audience". He praised Supple for recovering a sense of magic and enchantment in the play that had been "purged by Anglo-Saxon directors". De Jongh admitted that the "English speaking is not up to much" but said the visuals made up for it.
Alice Jones of the Independent also lamented the fact that the "odd linguistic nuance or wordplay is lost in this version" but said it was "quite thrilling to see the straitjacket of the Bard's sacred word thrown off in favour of something far more fluid, more visceral".
Designer Sumant Jayakrishnan was widely praised and it was generally agreed that the moment when the fairies entered the stage stole the show. Charles Spencer of the Telegraph claimed it was "one of the greatest - and simplest - stage effects I have ever seen". He was so enthused by the entire performance that he "left the theatre wanting to catch the next flight to Bombay to rekindle my own dormant love affair with the subcontinent".
Over to the blogosphere, where Natsiki and her mum found themselves sucked into the enchanting performance despite having been expecting a more traditional Shakespeare. After overcoming their initial shock and confusion, they soon found "the different language was no longer a barrier" and ended up having a "truly unforgettable experience".
Have you seen it? If so, let us know what you thought by posting your comments below.
