It's been a while since I decided I was better off cutting my losses and leaving a show at the interval (in fact this is my first time post-Panny D) but physical theatre company Flabbergast's take on
A Midsummer Night's Dream did nothing to make me want to return. As a result I can't review the show as I didn't see all of it, but I can say the relentless clowning style of performance put me off from the start. The blurb says the company has a respectful approach to the text, and I'm sure they do, as the bombastic performance by whoever happens to be speaking it at any given time is generally accompanied by slapstick business inspired by the lines. In practice it means Oberon lays an egg at one point, and anything one of the rude mechanicals says or does is accompanied by a chorus of wailing, gossiping and clucking from the rest of them.
What it doesn't mean is any connection with the story or delineation between the characters. It raised some laughs from some of the audience, usually from some comic business unrelated to the play. It didn't manage as much as a smile from me, but I did wait until the interval before leaving, which can't be said for everybody there tonight.
Running time: Advertised as 2 hours 40 minutes including interval.
Photo credit: Michael Lynch.
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