I can’t remember the last time I got the giggles in the theatre but director Emily Lim’s joyful take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream just about undid me. It’s generous, creative and clever, always with an eye to making the audience feel included. With gloriously extravagant costumes (concept by Fly Davis), a set that spontaneously blooms from designer Aldo Vázquez, hearty folk music by Jim Fortune and effervescent comic performances, this is the rarest of things: a Dream the whole family can enjoy. Just cover the kids’ eyes for the slightly naughtier bits.
The Globe is the perfect space for Lim who has spent much of her career folding drama and community together, particularly on the National Theatre’s Public Acts project. The audience interaction elements aren’t just a fun add-on here but a vital part of the show. In fact, we’re so fully integrated into the action that in the closing scenes, one happy spectator – as part of a brilliant running gag – joins Puck on stage for a hand-tying ceremony to spontaneous cheers all round.
None of that interaction would be possible without Michael Grady-Hall’s inspired Puck. More court jester than fairy, he spends much of the show joking with the crowd, ad-libbing with exquisite timing and pelting everyone with bubbles. As Bottom, the pretentious am-dram actor who transforms into a very sparkly ass, Adrian Richards has comic flair suffused into each movement, from the way he shimmies his hips to how he waggles his tongue.
A few aspects are overlooked. The crisscrossing love story fails to make much of an impact – although it’s nice to see, in Romaya Weaver’s fiery performance, a Helena with spunk. The constant musical skits don’t always work and Audrey Brisson, a talented singer, strains too hard for an air of mystery and magic as the Fairy Queen. But all is forgiven in a show that is palpably concerned with dispelling any worries the audience might have about understanding Shakespeare – and simply showing them a good time.
• At Shakespeare’s Globe, London, until 29 August
