A Midsummer Night's Dream

Kip Williams' contemporary-yet-enchanting take on Shakespeare's greatest comedy grips audiences from the first scene. Puck (Matthew Backer) appears on stage, his back towards us, dressed in nothing but black sequined hot pants, dancing under flickering strobe lights. Throughout this production, he acts almost as an MC who consistently provides comic relief while tying the stories of the characters together.

The design approach is perhaps the most radically inventive and incisive element of this staging. Both couples are dressed in suits and wedding dresses for the entire length of the play; Oberon (Robert Menzies) and Titiana (Paula Arundell) are in matching gold and silver sequined numbers - a glistening suit jacket and a floor-length gown that refract light across every inch of the stage. Time appears to freeze when Titania first appears, dancing in the forest surrounded by her fairy servants. This magical throng wear coloured wigs and nude one pieces with dangling cartoon-like genitals hanging from their costumes. As Titania falls asleep her body rises and hovers mid-air. Much of this fiercely intelligent staging challenges our expectations of this play: it is, of course, magical and yet somehow laced with a dark, sinister energy.

Williams creates a deeply intriguing, thoughtful and at times whimsical interpretation of this play – although still peppered with tragedy and pathos. It's a production that brilliantly showcases why this director is one of the most exciting theatre-makers working in Australia today.

Sydney Theatre Company presents A Midsummer Night's Eve, at Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House to 18 Oct.