Who hasn’t dreamt of running off into the woods with the fairies?! Playing at the [Bridge Theatre ](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/bridge-theatre-london)until Wed 20 August, book your tickets to [*A Midsummer Night’s Dream*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/a-midsummer-nights-dream-london-tickets) today. Magic, mayhem, and mistaken identity await!
*P.S. Being grabbed on the arm by Lynn from Alan Partridge (**Felicity Montagu) and shepherded into the ‘Midsummer moshpit’ to dance at the end of the show is how I want to spend every Thursday night, please.*
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Bridge Theatre Review
Posted on
**Shakespeare’s original rom-com, upgraded and away with the fairies (in the best possible way).**
The Bridge Theatre’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream* is back — and it’s just as wild, magical, and joyfully unhinged as ever. Returning for a limited run after its five-star debut in 2019, Nicholas Hytner’s immersive production throws audiences headfirst into a dream world of flying fairies, shifting stages, and moonlit revelry.
From the moment you enter, the flower-crown-adorned audience with standing tickets are gently guided into the heart of the action — a shifting in-the-round set up where platforms rise, fairies swoop overhead, and characters emerge from the crowd. At one point, a giant tent ripples out over the audience, giving full-on 90s P.E. lesson vibes in the best, most surreal way. It’s theatre as a playground: unpredictable, vibrant, and delightfully chaotic.
At the heart of the production is the now-iconic role reversal between Titania and Oberon. This switch gives the play a fresh pulse. Susannah Fielding’s Titania is magnetic — playful, powerful, and sharp as a whip. JJ Feild’s lovestruck Oberon, meanwhile, leans into the ridiculousness of enchantment with charm and self-awareness. I was absolutely obsessed with his troop of attendant fairies who entwine and swoop around his four-poster bed (it’s giving ‘sugar rush at a sleepover after one too many Maoams’ energy).
David Moorst returns as Puck with the same anarchic brilliance he brought in 2019 — part trickster, part host, part aerial sprite — hooking the audience into the chaos like an over-caffeinated wedding DJ. He’s impossible to look away from; imagine a drug-fuelled Daffy from *The Beach* doing his creepy “bedside hover,” only with his delicious Northern drawl. Loved it.
Emmanuel Akwafo is a new standout as Bottom, bringing warmth and hilarity to the role without ever overplaying it. The lovers bring their own brand of delightful disorder — all tangled limbs, jealous outbursts, breathless declarations and slick comic timing that mines every laugh from Shakespeare’s tangled web of affection and rejection.
Visually, the show is a marvel. Bunny Christie’s design, Bruno Poet’s lighting, and the use of music and movement all combine into something more like a fever dream than a traditional play. It’s loud, glittery, and unafraid to turn Shakespeare into a late-night party.
This isn’t a dusty classic poked awake for summer. It’s a lively, buzzing romp that pulls you in and keeps you on your toes. Whether it’s your first time or you’re returning from 2019, it’s a night you won’t forget.