It’s a parody that the Bard himself would be proud of, that people feel the need to embellish, adapt and ultimately change in the name of theatre that which they claim was perfect in the first place. So it was with great relief that the LOST Theatre Company chose the light-hearted To The Woods!, a musical adaptation of A Midsummer Nights Dream as their showcase for this year’s festival.
The frontier settlers of Texas are our familiar citizens of Athens, whilst the spirits are those of American Indians in this amusing Wild West romp through Shakespeare’s best comedy. Although the ludicrous Southern States accents grate terribly at first, they soon mellow, and it is a pleasant surprise to hear how the Texan drawl rolls off the words of the original script. The musical interludes are of the more contemporary kind, further lightening the mood for those in fear of the Olde English language barrier.
The producers themselves point out that both the musical score and the script have been heftily trimmed in order to fit a limited time Fringe slot. This both hinders and benefits the show, leaving as it does a lot of the story up to the imagination of an audience possibly unfamiliar with the script whilst at the same time lessening the hardcore Shakespearean impact.
It must be said that the LOST Theatre company is justifiably proud of its members; the play is immaculately performed, testament to the talent on stage. The start and finish of the performance are the only real flaws, feeling awkward and disjointed, whilst everything in between is perfectly executed, free flowing and truly mesmerising. It is just a shame that less capable companies may get equally good reviews for the reverse reason.
3/5
Simon Ferguson
