A storm is brewing in the forests surrounding Athens, and it isn't just the faeries quarrelling. The famed city itself has been redressed as an imposing fortress, white marble adorned with fascist insignia, guards marching around like stormtroopers, and the victorious King Theseus exalted by fanfare and choir. There hasn't been anything close to light-hearted wooing; a war has been held. And if Nazi parallels weren't distracting enough for you, wait until the yielding queen is wheeled into the throne room restrained body to toe, masked Hannibal Lecter style. This is no longer a quaint comedy but a piercing melodrama, demonstrated by the way that the soundtrack seems to strain and wail alongside Hippolyta when she tries to break free of her restraints. Yet for all the soaring shots that fly out of windows and swoop over the glittering surrounding towns, director Russell Davies can't quite escape his Whosian roots: the cheesy special effects, the generous dash of camp, the implication that the world doesn't extend far from the set and frame. All the bombast and tyranny seems silly in comparison to genuine silliness, seen when the opening switches to the roll call of the Mechanicals in a hearty pub just outside the fortress walls. Bottom naturally draws the scene to himself, and no performance in the movie is bettered than that of Matt Lucas', beaming and bouncing from his very first step. The character can be easily lost in irritable boasts and showboating, but Lucas is lovable because of his inherent enthusiasm for the theatre and the performing arts, and we can therefore laugh at him without feeling like we are directing ridicule. With that dopey smile plastered permanently on his round face, the donkey ears are visible long before Puck's trickery. But not even Bottom's infectious cheer can distract from Davies' main intent to rewrite all the wrongs of the original Shakespeare. The players' dreadful Pyramus and Thisbe should be a tonic to the soul, a resounding uplift in the wake of confusion, darkness and deceit. Here it is laced with underlying terror. With each mistake and fumbled line Theseus is ordering another execution, slashing a red cross with about as much menace as one could muster when asked to sentence a poor workman to death via iPad. John Hannah delivers his commentary on the comedic tragedy with underlying menace instead of playful sarcasm, and the rest of the audience eye him warily, adjusting their reactions accordingly, lest they too be crossed off. Where has the joy gone? Turns out it's been jam-packed into the finale, a rapturous parade of both fairy and human celebrating the toppling of the the Theseus regime, and Hippolyta returned to her rightful place. You can see what Davies is going for, unleashing the torrent of fertility, sexuality and mysticism from the Early Modern English into the open. Magic in the air. Lovers reunited. All is mended. Titania may be fine with her little love-dazed tryst with a donkey (again, owing to Lucas), but what about poor Demetrius? The boy still has that dumbfounded look about him, mouth slightly agape, eyes only for Helena. There is a playful bit of misdirection earlier where he first falls for the spindly Lysander, but where is his happy ending? The original was problematic, no one could deny that. Why else is Puck offering amends to the audience, and sweeping the dust behind the door? Davis attempts to wave his magic wand and make everything all right, but Shakespeare was the most accomplished magician of them all. He had foreseen this problem already, and whispered a quick word to his Puck, who readied the flower's juice for the viewer. And what a spell we were put under.

Superficially David Kerr's production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM resembles Shakespeare reinterpreted for DR. WHO aficionados. This is to be expected, given that Russell T. Davies has adapted the text. Special effects abound: the fairies disappear in puffs of smoke, Puck (Hiran Abeysekera) moves around the forest as a flash of light, while the camera pans rapidly over urban and rural landscapes, accompanied by heavenly choirs on the soundtrack (music by Murray Gold). This is the world of science fiction, where quite literally anything can happen.Yet beneath the colorful surface there lurks a highly original interpretation of the text. Duke Theseus (John Hannah) is a despot, ruling a fascist state festooned with Nazi-type symbols and policed by guards with faces obscured by military helmets. He keeps Hippolyta (Eleanor Matsuura) prisoner; he has her wheeled into his court tied to a cart, her face encased in a metal helmet preventing her from speaking. Egeus (Colin McFarlane) is equally despotic; if people do not submit to his will, then he will have them suitably dealt with.Life in the forest seems equally restrictive, as Oberon (Nonso Anozie) fight with Titania (Maxine Peake), and enlists Puck into his service to ensure that she suffers as much indignity as possible. The two male characters are fond of cackling evilly to each other as they contemplate the future success of their schemes.The only characters who appear to act naturally are the Rude Mechanicals. Led by an earnest Quince (Elaine Paige), they gather at the local pub to prepare for performing "Pyramus and Thisbe." Among a crowd of sociable regulars, they distribute the parts, much to Bottom's (Matt Lucas's) delight. As they leave the pub, the Rude Mechanicals embrace the locals, thereby emphasizing that human feeling does survive in Theseus's world, even if it is only evident among the poorest members of society.In the production's second movement, taking place in the forest, director Kerr and adapter Davies emphasize the play's transformative potential. The four lovers come to understand their depth of feeling for one another; Oberon reconciles himself to Titania; while Bottom remembers little about his experience of being transformed into an ass, but nonetheless wakes up with a renewed zest for life. The action unfolds in a golden, almost nostalgic orange glow that illuminates the trees and enables the characters to see one another for what they are.The action shifts back to Theseus's court, where the Duke's despotic rule continues unchecked. As he watches the performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe," he draws red crosses over the photographs of the Mechanicals on his IPad, suggesting that he will have them disposed of as soon as possible. No one else laughs at the performance; they all look fearfully as Theseus to see his reactions. The atmosphere soon changes, however, as Bottom-as-Pyramus enacts his death scene. Theseus bursts out laughing, clutches his heart and totters out of the room; on the IPad we witness his eventual demise. As soon as he leaves, everyone is free to act according to their inclinations; they welcome the performance, and give the Mechanicals a standing ovation. Theseus has quite literally died laughing, proving beyond doubt that despotism cannot suppress our natural inclinations.The production ends with a colorful dancing sequence. Hippolyta is released from her chains, and it turns out that she is a fairy. Both she and Titania sprout wings and fly up to the ceiling. On this view it seems that Oberon's decision to visit Theseus's court was prompted by the desire to rescue one of his own kind.As the entire company perform, Titania winks at Bottom, and Bottom starts, as if realizing just what happened during the previous night. Likewise Puck glances at the four lovers, reminding them of the control he once exercised over their lives. Through this strategy Kerr makes it clear that the "midsummer night's dream" was not just something playful, but taught the characters something about themselves and their deepest desires.This MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM was one of the best interpretations of the play I have seen in recent years. All credit to Davies for shaping such a competent script, which was brilliantly performed and directed by a top-notch group of creative personnel.

This updating of the play works beautifully I think. I love Shakespeare and classic opera and I'm wary of modern updates - so often they are facile or irritating and get in the way of the text/score. But this was a delight: genuinely funny, lovely special effects and a real feel for the soul of the play. It wasn't perfect - occasionally the words got lost in the music or through less than perfect diction. I studied this play at school more than 50 years ago and didn't get much of the humour or the cruelty in the treatment of the characters that this production brought out. I will want to see more traditional productions as well but will return to this one too. Well done RTD - overall it was a great 1hour 35minutes. The BBC have done us proud in the Shakespeare anniversary year with this and the wonderful Hollow Crown.

A Midsummer Night's Dream has been a firm favourite of mine for many years and I have seen many version both on screen and in theatre. However I do not remember, when we studied A Midsummer Night's Dream in school, that it was written to be a homosexual romp and certainly no lesbian kissing. Maybe I will be regarded a die-hard traditionalist, but this wondrous play has all the magical ingredients in its original form which already provides plenty of scope for a variety of interpretations; so this work need no updating or unexpected twists to bring it to a new audience. Something of the historic context becomes lost along the way. Suffice to say, this has been deleted on my set-top box and if I am around in years to come, I will not be watching it on repeat. This is say because I have enjoyed some of Russell T Davies' previous work.