Shakespeare’s words shone through the fireworks
When reports first emerged about Russell T Davies’s new “reimagining” of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (BBC One), the headlines screamed about lesbian kisses, scene switching and the shock death of a major character.
Despite Davies’s status as the man who reinvigorated Doctor Who and as the creator of some of the most groundbreaking television drama of all time (such as Queer as Folk), I was halfexpecting a car crash, especially when the curtain rose on a megalomaniac dictator Theseus (John Hannah) in high camp, pseudo-Nazi regalia leading a band of Star Wars- style stormtroopers through Athens.
Things got worse. When Hippolyta was wheeled on, strapped to a sack barrow and wearing a Hannibal Lecter facemask, it was almost too much. What had any of this gimmickry to do with Shakespeare?
Then, as the lovers entered, the magic began – in the words. Here was the loveliest, most natural treatment of dialogue I’ve heard in a TV adaptation of Shakespeare – making the comedy’s central thrust of misbegotten romance crystal clear. And if the gimmickry continued with a Little Red Riding
Hood- inspired introduction to Oberon (Nonso Anozie) and Titania (Maxine Peake) in their enchanted forest – all hissing fairies and glittery sprites – once again it was the language that emerged as victor. Pared back beyond the tolerance of purists, no doubt, but never lacking in poetry.
That’s not to mention the rude mechanicals. Matt Lucas’s Bottom was, ahem, a joy to behold – eking out oodles of fresh comedy, and pathos, from the role. He was joyfully supported by Elaine Paige, Bernard Cribbins and especially Javone Prince as a surprisingly heart-plucking Snug/ Thisbe.
But it was the brilliance of the four relative newcomers in the roles of the star-crossed lovers that made this production sing. Matthew Tennyson was perhaps too obviously a Harry Potter stand-in as Lysander but he sparkled just as well as Prisca Bakare (Hermia) and Paapa Essiedu (Demetrius), while Kate Kennedy was an absolutely stand-out Helena, fizzingly funny yet wholly sympathetic. If there was a disappointment it was Peake, whose oddly misfiring Titania felt like a cross between Mae West and Xena, Warrior Princess.
Yes, this was over the top, Titania and Hippolyta shared a very chaste kiss, and Theseus was pointlessly killed off. But this A Midsummer
Night’s Dream was engaging, fresh and funny. Russell T Davies has succeeded where the BBC’s recent Shakespeare
Live! failed. Rather than patronising young people and reducing the power of the Bard’s language, Davies seduced them by keeping its essence amid the fireworks and fun.
Gently provocative might describe German comedian Henning Wehn’s An Immigrant’s Guide to Britain (Channel 4). Filmed as a spoof guide to prospective incomers, it playfully explored some of the more impenetrable aspects of British life that immigrants might need to know about: caravanning or eating steak and kidney pie from a tin, for example.
Helping Wehn out were a handful of newish arrivals from Hungary, India, Poland and Ghana who filmed inserts of their encounters with British people in the street.
Wehn provided the links, his humour generally more silly than acerbic. So while he considered the difficulties of what to call yourself (“especially if your name sounds like you’ve just fallen asleep on the keyboard”), Kamil from Poland took a different tack on name-calling, conducting a vox pop survey of the average Brit’s imprecise understanding of the words immigrant and refugee.
His conclusion – that the smartest thing for immigrants to do would be to refer to themselves as expats to ensure they don’t get shouted at – certainly didn’t lack a bite of satire. Similarly Kamil’s street piece about testing the average Brit’s inability to complain (he set up a coffee stand and despite openly lacing his product with Tabasco, chilli, cumin and even his own saliva, encountered not a word of protest or complaint) had a distinctly sharp edge to it.
None of this was especially groundbreaking and at times it looked a touch stagey. A bigger budget may have helped too (was it made on a shoestring?). But the programme made its point well: immigrants have a sense of humour, too.