S4K Dream - Glasgow Herald, Edingburgh Festival Review, 15 Aug 1998

15th August 1998

Children

Shakespeare 4 Kidz A Midsummer Night's Dream
Palladium

RECOMMENDED

Getting children to like Shakespeare - let alone understand what's giong on - is like getting them to eat cooked greens. So Shakespeare 4 Kidz does the clever thing. It serves up the story - dialoguerewritten, modernised, but with some trace elements of the original verse - in a way that makes it all slip down a treat.

There are cheery, tuneful songs which cunningly help establish character - especially useful in giving each Mechanical a recognisable identity. Their foolish play is woven with lots of lovely, inventive detail - it cuold puty many a higher profile production to shame - but the Dream's magic isn't made a hostage to all out comedy and clowning.

The minimal wood is truly enchanting - complete with tiny, gorgeously gauzy fairies - while Louise Ekland's Puck strikes just the right balance between tomboy and supernatural sprite.

Little wonder a smitten teacher was asking, as I left, if teh company could tour to her area.

 

Mary Brennan


 
 
What they say about us:

S4K MACBETH: "Hundreds of Doncaster’s schoolchildren (mainly primary) had their first magical taste of live stage performance with this musical version of Macbeth. As an introduction to Shakespeare, it’s just the job, especially when Jason Lee Scott as Macbeth possesses both fine acting skills and a fantastic voice."