A Midsummer Nights Dream Adrian Nobles RSC production

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Adrian Noble’s RSC production

Setting/ Stage design: The setting- “a jewel like neon fantasy-land where not just Bottom but indeed all the creatures existed on the cusp of human and surreal” Minimalist design, surreal, perhaps Freudian. “Glowing light bulbs suspended on the flies on long cords rose and fell, twinkling atmospherically” Stage designs for the play were becoming increasingly abstract. “A major innovation here was the introduction of several doors: four in the rear stage wall and two others rising mysteriously from the stage floor during the forest scenes” “The doors here a fascinating development, providing crucial props in the third-act quarrel scene, as well as an idea , endemic to comedy of coming and going, of intrusion and stealth” – Michael Coveny, The Observer “The first fairy scene began with Puck and First Fairy rising on their green umbrella’s amidst a forest of lightbulbs” “People are passing from waking to dreaming, consciousness to subconsciousness, ignorance to selfdiscovery” – Benedict Nightingale

Costume and set: “The movement of the lightbulbs along with the use of colour helped indicate mood and atmosphere” Costumes in primary colours, Hermia in a simple orange sun dress, Helena in purple and Lysander and Demetrius In shirts of blue and green silk. Puck wore bright yellow oriental silk trousers. Reflects the acting, which is also very vibrant and physical. Portrayal of Titania/ Hippolyta: “Titania’s bower was a brilliant scenic invention” “Oberon and Titania walked towards the rear “Titania’s bower- a large, soft pink inverted umbrella that descended from above” doors, changed cloaks and were once again Thesues and Hippolyta”. – dual casting. Hippolyta is played a reluctant and assertive, physically slapping Theseus in disgust. The play can be seen as the couple’s “premarriage dream of anxiety”. - de Jongh, 1994

Noble’s surrealism and illusionay ‘dream’ – “The overarching concept for the dream was the dream, or a descent into the unconscious” A pertinent focus on theme of illusions and dreams, revelling in illusion. “not nightmares but natural entities, which free us , to resolve, to role play, and to interpret” “Noble’s combination of scenic spectacle and creative characterisation was 1990 s magic” , Mary Z Maher Noble’s play is a world of dreaming and sleep. “the performance acknowledged all kinds of sexual play and hints at a relationship between Oberon and Puck” The fairies appeared in a wide variety of colours, including hair in yellow pink and blue, emphasising fantasy. The major fairies- (Mustardseed, peaseblossom) were played by the mechanicals. Emphasising the dream state.

Noble’s interpretations Noble’s choice to insert the medium of the boy in the film version as a cinematographic device: “The metadramatic dimension of the play takes a new resonance. ” “The boy is given the directors role, he is responsible for the whole story” Puck is presented as overtly sexual and sinister: “the performance acknowledged all kinds of sexual play and hints at a relationship between Oberon and Puck” “The film is a little off putting in many ways, and surreal in many other ways” “an unusual darker spin” Some critics found Noble’s production distant and “coldly elegant”- Rhoda Koenig