A much loved story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will take your breath away with its charming characters and mischievous fairies.

Lysander (Jamie Pottinger) and Hermia (Lucy Bull) declare their love for one another and petition the priest in order to get around her father’s wishes for her to marry Demetrius (Liam Andrews). But Demetrius has been unfaithful with Helena (Madeline Rogers). Out of desperation, the lovers decide to flee into the woods but are followed by a hurt Helena and a disgruntled Demetrius; meanwhile a group of players meet in the woods to rehearse a new play. As the characters all come together, it seems like the night will be lost in quarrels, until that is, the fairy king Oberon (Jordan Twartz) decides to step in, sending Puck (Elizabeth Bastable) to find a special herb in the forest which can be used as a love potion.

Puck, the impish fairy, led the show, directing the audience through the story. Certainly a mischievous Puck, she holds the audience captive as she speaks. The fairies play their parts well and it was a great idea to have them spinning and leaping across the stage to make the most of their wings. The silken wings were ingenious, never getting in the way (not that they were able to as they were attached at the arms) or seeming to be entirely still when the characters are in motion. In particular the masks of Oberon and Titania (Emily Ravenscroft) are impressive and seemed to fit well with both the character and the other aspects of costuming. Their dress and the effect of the smoke machine employed in the fairy scenes made them delightfully airy and at ease, just as a fairy should be.

Helena and Hermia are excellent, suitably devoted to their lovers with no regard for the scorn which they receive. Helena is the more engaging, perhaps because her character has to deal with constant rejection and threats from Demetrius. Her character was so passionate and Madeleine Rogers takes Helena’s passion on as her own and pours it into her performance. Of the players, Peter Quince (Lucas Binns) is enthusiastic with everything he does while Bottom (Luke Saunders) makes an excellent ass.

It is an original idea to perform this play to a 60s style, however it might be improved by adapting the script to the chosen era. Despite the difference in dress and dialect, the play was successfully engrossing and the audience appeared suitably impressed. The Reverb Theatre Company delivered an excellent performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.