Student Reviews
On Thursday the 8th of February, LAMP went to see “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the RSC.
For my general overview: It was pretty good, I’d give it a solid 8/10.
Bottom was good, but I think mainly Matthew Baynton who played him was a big part of that; he is the one they’re using to advertise it after all. But someone I didn’t expect to like, was Puck. Let me tell you, Puck stole the show. Every time Puck was on stage, I was applauding. A big part of that was the actress, although I don’t know them, it wouldn’t be the same if someone else other than them was playing Puck. There were multiple scenes of Puck just alone on stage with brilliant light shows capturing our attention.
The stage production was excellent. The set design was nice, all the lights on the ceiling and the ladders that came out the floor, it was all executed well. They didn’t really use props, instead most of it was done with light shows and images, which had a really good effect. The costumes were kind of strange, a large mismatch of different time periods and styles which I think surprisingly worked when it came to the play, supporting the statement by Puck at the end where everything the audience just saw, may have been a dream in of itself.
In my opinion, I really enjoyed it. It exceeded my expectations. I’d recommend it even if like me you’re not a fan of Ol’ Billy Shakes. At least, if anything, see it for Puck.
As for some final thoughts, I think the play “Pyramus and Thisbe” that they performed dragged on for too long, and the thing about The Wall really wasn’t funny, just annoying. Although after that Puck came on stage and brought me back in.
By James
On Thursday 8th February, LAMP students went to the RSC in Stratford Upon Avon to watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
This play is about multiple characters such as fairies, royalty, and love, all the stories are connected and eventually form one story. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Bottom becomes part donkey because I like the comical side of it and how talented Mathew Baynton is with both verbal acting as well as his body language. Even though I liked the character Bottom, my favourite characters would have to be either Lysander or Demetrius because of how funny the two together were and how overall entertaining their scenes were to watch.
I also liked how the actors throughout the production have such good chemistry which makes it believable for them to get along or be in love with one another. The stage production was quite interesting as it was more natural than overly done which was unexpected. I went to the show thinking it would be filled with lots of makeup and costumes, but everything was much more simple than expected. The lights were one of my favourites because of how the characters seemed to have control over them and it was fun to watch it play out.
Sometimes it was hard to follow or focus because of a lot of the language was older Shakespearean language, but eventually, I caught up and the amazing acting helped. The band was also brilliant, and the music really went with the scenes.
Personally, I really enjoyed the play and would recommend the show to anyone interested in fantasy or reading. If you liked the Percy Jackson series then you might like the play, it’s all up to preference and not everyone has the same taste.
Despite the show being long, I thought it was good that there was a break halfway through so nobody would miss anything. The seats were quite squished but manageable and I think you could enjoy the show from any view.
My overall rating is a 9.5/10 because I do think there are things that could have been changed like the costumes as sometimes it was difficult to tell who was playing who. But ultimately, I really enjoyed it.
By Millie
