Mirth, mischief and mayhem are the hallmarks of this pacey production at the Wharf.
Director Mike Polack has driven it along with well-defined characters and bags of energy.
The Dream is a multiple love story, with interference from the mischievous Puck, played with verve and agility by Debby Wilkinson.
advertisement
This is an exceptionally talented cast and only the occasional gabbled lines and sotto voce which shrank to inaudibility, hinted at its amateur status.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Wharf Theatre Devizes
For the most part these were vibrant and confident performances.
In particular Frederica Dunstan was a feisty Hermia, well matched by Chris Worthy as her would-be lover. Victoria Wakefield showed a good sense of irony as Helena, in love with but spurned by Demetrius (Paul Snook).
Merrily Powell was a winsome Titania, Queen of the Fairies with Peter Wallis as her charismatic Oberon.
The mechanicals, whose play within the play was a hilarious and brilliantly choreographed highlight, were an endearing bunch - David Gosling, Paul Myles, Chris Palmer, Martin Turner and George Combe.
But it was Lewis Cowen, as Bottom the Weaver - he who ends up with an ass's head - who stole the show with his finely tuned comic timing and gift of completely sending himself up, or at least his character.
It was well worth turning out for on a wild, wet night. It runs until Saturday.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
