The clue is in the title: this production of The Dream may be Footsbarn’s, but it’s not Shakespeare’s. The show will divide those who would happily listen to Shakespeare’s complete works on tape and those for whom spectacle decreases the importance of language.
Music throughout the production adds to the festive atmosphere of a big top on a hill and the idea of strolling players moving from town to town. The whole performance in fact is reminiscent of long-lost Mayday traditions; the company play heavily on the carnival-esque and always settle on the grotesque above the beauty favoured by other productions. Demetrius and Lysander, for example, are not fresh-faced youths but puffed up, aging and white-faced. This strategy, while interesting in this case, falls down when applied to other parts of the play.
The main issue is that whole chunks of this beautifully written play have been gouged out and replaced with extended, dreary physical comedy routines by the mechanicals. Lines added into the play jar and the natural comedy in the writing is almost entirely lost. It is almost as if Footsbarn do not believe that Shakespeare’s writing is magical or witty enough, in which case perhaps they should choose a play they do believe in. The acting also has been relegated in favour of the spectacle as a whole, and many lines are incomprehensible due to the thick accents of cast members.
Having said this and become perhaps a little carried away, the costumes, staging and movement are excellent and this production will delight fans of the fantastical.
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