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A
Midsummer Night's Dream Group: Gordonstoun |
| Tom Ogg | |
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Open air productions are always risky, especially with the Edinburgh weather, but when pulled off they can provide great theatre. It can bring something special to the performance, that unique atmosphere that fits well with the feeling of A Midsummer Night's Dream. One of the biggest selling points of this production is the ambience engendered by the outdoor setting, and the impressive construction that is the stage. There is a live band that complements and enhances the lovely atmosphere of the production, although they do also unfortunately provide the sound effects too, which can become slightly irritating when the low sounds of the keyboard are played for tension once again. This production achieves more clarity than most and furthers the exposure of the more brilliant parts of Shakespeare's plot line. The love triangles and tangles of relationships are well done indeed, and with good humour. There is some modernising of the text, particularly with the introduction of contemporary songs, some of which are good, some of which are not quite so. It takes a quality cast to put those emphases across, which they do, and do well. It is, however, difficult to escape the fact that it is a school based production, and no matter how talented the actors and team behind it, it will lack the shine of professionalism. This is problematic for a production that pitches for quality, rather than other factors, and does therefore compare badly on some notes. However, it is compensated heavily by the charm of the cast and the versatile performances. Just bring an umbrella. 11
August to 16 August.
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