Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Touring)

Wednesday 18th February 2026 at Leeds Playhouse

⭐️⭐️

Adaptations of Shakespeare’s work are ten a penny, so offering something “fresh” and from a “different angle” is a popular claim. Headlong prides itself on approaching any text as if it landed today, with no reverence towards “classic” standing holding back artistic vision – a very fine approach if you ask me. So, this production of the bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream promises a take which leans into the “shadows” of this comedy while retaining its joy, ultimately seeking to ask “who gets to dream” these days. It’s an interesting premise, but the finished product is decidedly muddled in vision and pretty bamboozling by the concluding moments. 

In Holly Race Roughan and Naeem Hayat’s production, we begin with an aggressive dynamic, with Hippolyta (Hedydd Dylan) hiding from her intended, Theseus (Michael Marcus), who arrogantly destroys the space, clambering over a formally set table sending things flying and leaving the chef clutching his face. So the lawless patriarch gleeful in his power is established. And this is heightened when the more familiar exchange between this ruler of the land and the father unhappy with his daughter’s waywardness gives him the opportunity to throw his weight around a little more still. It’s mildly surprising and also familiar – so far, so good. 

But what follows is relatively close to productions preceding this one in terms of character and plot, with the only notable distance being created by having the mechanicals as catering staff for the wedding (quite canny and a neat revision to be honest); doing away with any set suggesting a physical forest in favour of a monochrome dining room backdrop and a wintry hat and scarf popping up here and there suggesting wintertime has descended (designer: Max Johns); and a strange attempt to make Puck (Sergo Vares) an unnervingly dark figure somewhat akin to Cabaret’s emcee, but without much rhyme or reason for it…

When it comes to casting and performances however, we have a great bunch carrying everything. An excellent Bottom is key for this story, and  Danny Kirrane is brilliant. Comically arrogant, non-plussed and uncertain in turn, his performance is the show’s highlight. The lovers finding themselves caught up in the mischief conjured by immortal tricksters are also great – with Tiwa Lade in particular bringing wonderful flair and layers of meaning to Shakespeare’s words as Hermia. David Olaniregun and Lou Jackson have some great moments as the sparring love rivals Lysander and Demetrius, and Tara Tijani hammers home Helena’s poor treatment with plenty of fire and grit. 

There are puzzling moments which feel random and indulgent though, shoe-horning modernity into the piece with surprising snatches of Billie Eilish and such, but it’s in the finale that the production really loses direction with bamboozling choices that just don’t seem to make much sense… and putting everything down to this being a “dream” scenario just doesn’t cut it for me. There are snatches of statements being made in Titania’s speech on changing climates, the darkness of a more sexualised tone given to Helena’s treatment and in the emphasis placed on Lysander’s concern about dreams and realities when he remains the only character forced to remain under the influence of something unearthly… but there are more blurred lines than distinct messages here.

If a production wants to go bold and wild and totally left-field, I’m all ears and ready to be happily surprised, but to aim for bold and different without cohesion and clarity of vision for the piece makes things tricker to appreciate. I can just about draw a line between that staggeringly lawless Theseus from the opening scene with the bizarre turn of events at the close of the play, but other than a mindless “I do this because I can” mentality, there’s little to give such choices a solid grounding.

Adapted or entirely reinvented Shakespeare productions can be glorious. There has to be clarity of meaning and purpose for such productions to be appreciated though, and that’s where this production falls down; despite its intention to bring us a much darker Midsummer Night’s Dream while retaining its joy, it somehow lands unsteadily between the two with neither intention sufficiently realised.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Leeds Playhouse until February 28th 2026 – more information and tickets can be found here.