Musical : A Midsummer Night's Dream
Venue : Grand Opera House, York
Review by : Julia Pattison

From the very beginning Puck ( brilliantly portrayed by Paul Parris ) captivated his young “ good fellows ” in the audience, creating such an atmosphere of magic and mayhem that he held them in the palm of his mischievous hand.

I sat behind a class of Year 6 pupils from Pocklington Junior School who obviously enjoyed every minute of this dream of a production by the talented Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company.

The cast, as always, gave strong performances, their energy and enthusiasm, particularly in the musical numbers was infectious. The Musical number Demetrius and Me by Helena ( Clare Reilly ) and ( Samantha Giffard ) went down particularly well, especially as Demetrius (Steven Smallwood )went through a hilarious vain “He man ” routine as they sang.

Great lighting and effective scene changes all helped to create the magic in this production. A little “ light ” juggling from perky Puck, then “ hey presto,” a sparkling forest miraculously appeared – enchanting!

The workmen were a big hit, with Bottom ( Sean Luckham ),shamelessly whipping the audience into a frenzy as he prepared to die in the hilarious Pyramus and Thisbe play performed after the weddings.

I loved the scenes between Oberon ( Stuart Boother ) and Puck, particularly when King and servant became one; live theatre at its best.

The crown belonged to Puck though; Paul Parris was outstanding in his portrayal of “ that merry wanderer of the night ”.
The Year 6 pupils from Pocklington Junior School summed up the mood of the audience; they called to their hero excitedly as he began his “ If we shadows have offended…” final speech, “ Puck, you rock! ”.

Shakespeare 4 Kidz lived up to its name once more!