Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble & PIP Theatre)

*Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography*

Lose yourself in the enchanted forest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, brought to life with music, mischief, and magic by the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble.

In this Shakespearean comedy, four young lovers find themselves in the forest outside of Athens – Hermia loves Lysander (reimagined in this production as Lysandra) but is promised to Demetrius; Helena loves Demetrius, but he rejects her affections and pursues Hermia; Lysandra and Hermia run away to be married, but Demetrius and Helena follow them. Unseen, the fairies of the forest make mischief with these interlopers – at the bidding of his master Oberon, the sprite Puck makes both Demetrius and Lysandra fall in love with Helena, and plays a similar trick on the fairy queen Titania. Meanwhile, a group of craftspeople and amateur actors rehearse their play nearby and accidentally become entangled in the magic.

*Meg Bennett and Leah Mustard as Lysandra and Hermia. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography*

Core Ensemble member Angus Thorburn made his directorial debut for QSE with this production, with assistant direction and choreography by Rebecca Murphy. The actors moved across the stage but also made full use of the space in front of it, reversing the orientation for the wedding entertainment at the end of the play. Thorburn’s direction made excellent use of physical comedy, especially as Lysandra and Demetrius competed for Helena’s affection and spurned Hermia. The Mechanicals’ performance of the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe at the Duke’s wedding, usually a lengthy diversion from the main plot, was an unexpected comedic highlight in this production – Claire Pearson’s performance as Snout, playing the wall that separates the lovers, was especially funny.

*(L to R, front) James Enwright, Claire Pearson, and Rob Pensalfini as Flute, Snout, and Bottom performing* Pyramus and Thisbe. *Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography*.

Most of the actors played two or more roles, especially between The Mechanicals and the fairies, with shifts in characterisation between the two. James Enwright, Dom Tennison, Jason Nash, and Paris Lindner were each a masked member of the fairy queen’s court, often with a playful intensity, as well as Athenians with a more upright manner.

*(L to R) Mikala Crawley, Eamon Langton, Jason Nash, Paris Lindner, Meg Bennett, and Leah Mustard. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography.*

Leah Mustard and Meg Bennett had a wonderful chemistry as young lovers Hermia and Lysandra, and with Mikala Crawley and Eamon Langton as Helena and Demetrius there were many exchanges of combative energy and quick-witted banter, with fight coordination by Jason McKell.

*Mikala Crawley and Eamon Langton as Helena and Demetrius. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography.*

Claire Pearson was a graceful, beatific Titania and a determined Snout. Rebecca Murphy was a commanding presence as Oberon, the fairy king, with Emily Croft playing a gleeful and mischievous Puck.

*Emily Croft as Puck. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography.*

Liliana Macarone was the exasperated director and leader of the acting troupe, Quince, and held an excellent tension with Rob Pensalfini as the overly confident amateur actor Nick Bottom and his many creative ideas and interjections. It was a shame that the full-face donkey mask hid Pensalfini’s comic facial expressions during his transformation into the donkey-headed love of the fairy queen, but his physical performance maintained the momentum of his character.

*Jason Nash, Rob Pensalfini, Dom Tennison, Claire Pearson, and Paris Lindner. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography*.

Musical direction and composition by Macarone and Pensalfini added another element to the comedy and Macarone played an impressive array of instruments as Quince during The Mechanicals’ wedding performance, which contributed significantly to the humour and energy of the work.

*The Mechanicals and the moon. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography*.

Set and prop design by Josh Murphy was simple and effective, with a backdrop of green fabrics to conjure the forest and an archway of interwoven branches to house the fairy queen and frame the centre of the stage, mimicked in Oberon’s regal crown.

*Rebecca Murphy as Oberon. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography*.

The colourful lighting design by Ziggy Enoch added to the dream-like atmosphere and shifted audience focus around the performance space. Costumes designed and constructed by Harmony Barath also helped to differentiate characters and settings. The Athenian nobles wore warm shades of peach, pink, and red, with the working-class actors in cooler tones of green and blue. Titania and her fairies shimmered in bright colours, while Oberon and Puck were earthier, and all the fairy costuming included textures that suggested bark, cobwebs, blossoms, and other elements of the forest.

*Jason Nash as Peaseblossom, James Enwright as Cobweb, Claire Pearson as Titania, and Dom Tennison as Mustardseed. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography.*

Bringing their significant skill and stagecraft to Shakespeare’s fairyland comedy, Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was energetic and highly entertaining.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream played at PIP Theatre, Milton, from 15 – 30 August 2025

For further information, visit the PIP Theatre website