A Midsummer Mechanical's Dream–ASC, Live Stream-11 March 2022 ****

OUTDOOR THEATRE - ONLINE  

 PETER QUINCE PRESENTS: The Athenian Players in A MIDSUMMER MECHANICAL’S DREAM

By Australian Shakespeare Company

At Botanical Gardens, Melbourne, until Sat 12 March 2022 

Live stream link available until 18 March  https://shakespeareaustralia.com.au/

This review is of the live stream recording of the show on 11 March 2022

Anthony Rive, Scott Jackson, Andrew Bongiorno, Kevin Hopkins, Hugh Sexton, Madeleine Somers. Photo, Ben Fon

 

This cheeky summer production in the Botanical Gardens is a big old hoot that takes the goofy Mechanicals/clowns from a Midsummer Night’s Dream and hurls them headlong into their own, idiosyncratic interpretations of Shakespeare’s major plays.

 

This is a delightfully entertaining and often hilarious romp that features the clownish Mechanicals slaughtering the tragedies written by Snug’s (Madeleine Somers) Uncle Bill, ‘the Upstart Crow’ Shakespeare.

 

First, they indulge in a series of actors’ warm ups including ‘Breathe through the anus’ and make your face into an elephant’s bum!’, all led by Peter Quince AKA Kevin Hopkins sporting a form-fitting, lycra jump suit.

 

The highlight is their side-splitting Scottish Play. Macbeth and Banquo arrive on wooden horses and wearing kilts. Banquo’s plastic kilt is cheekily backless and bumless, bringing new meaning to the name “Bottom. This Macbeth features more Scottish tartan and bagpipes than the Edinburgh Tattoo.

 

They abandon Macbeth because it is too bloody and switch to all of the Henrys and a couple of Richards. i.e. in a quick whip round the entire War of the Roses in doggerel rhymes.

 

Next is Hamlet the Masterchef of Denmark whose ghostly, sheet-sheathed father speaks via a talking sandwich maker. Now, that’s funny! There are oodles of cheesy rhymes and foodie puns. In the final sword fight, Laertes rhymes with “hurties’.

 

After interval and a quick pee, they return with a boot scootin’ routine followed by Romeo and Juliet in interpretive dance and a Hip Hop (sort of) version of King Lear. They torture the opera, Othello, in four minutes and do Antony and Cleopatra, the Musical with lots of dancing like an Egyptian.

 

But finally, they receive a missive that the Duke and Duchess prefer Pyramus and Thisbe ‘cos it’s (unwittingly) hilarious.

 

This is a riot of a show that has some pant-wetting moments, particularly in the Macbeth. Look for the live link on the website to view the show online until 18 March.

By Kate Herbert

 

Cast members. Photo - Ben Fon

DIRECTOR – Glenn Elston 

 

CAST

PETER QUINCE THE CARPENTER Kevin Hopkins

SNUG THE JOINER Madeleine Somers

NICK BOTTOM THE WEAVER Andrew Bongiorno

FRANCIS FLUTE THE BELLOWS MENDER Anthony Rive

TOM SNOUT THE TINKER Scott Jackson

ROBIN STARVELING THE TAILOR Hugh Sexton

 

Cast members. Photo - Ben Fon

Antony Rive. Photo, Ben Fon.