A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Barbican Theatre
16th January 2025

A group of 25 members managed to find their way to The Barbican Centre on a January day to see a modern production of A midsummer Night’s Dream in the theatre. The theatre was packed for our matinee, and it was nice to see that it included quite a few school groups.
This acclaimed RSC production, which transferred from Stratford, is directed by Eleanor Rhodes and has Matthew Boynton as Bottom. He plays his part as Pyramus in the play, at the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, with an hilarious death scene and the rest of the mechanicals delight as ever with Peter Quince deftly changed to Rita Quince. Katherine Pearce as Puck also captures us with her tricks.
The setting and scenery are very imaginative with lights and lighting effectively transporting us to midsummer in the forest as well as the Athenian Court.
The production is well described by the Guardian as “a ravishing fusion of flamboyance and fun” and was an excellent choice of the theatre for their Christmas production with our visit being one of the final performances. The play was very enjoyable, and many favourable comments were made afterwards by those in the group who attended.

Contributed to Mary Garside