The Dreaming – Union Theatre

The Dreaming continues at the Union Theatre, London until 27 September. Picture: Darren Bell

The Dreaming continues at the Union Theatre, London until 27 September.

Creating a convincingly mystical, enchanting and surreal setting for Howard Goodall (music) and Charles Hart’s (books and lyrics) take on A Midsummer’s Night Dream in the very basic confines of the boundary-pushing Union Theatre was never going to be easy. But, while it takes time, this mainly young, vibrant and totally focused cast manages to pull off a largely delightful production of The Dreaming, full of captivating, touching and humorous moments.

The tough task of setting the scene for this two and a half hour long production falls on the diminutive shoulders of the perfectly cast, elfin Simone Murphy in the opening number, ‘Thursday’s Child’. It’s a shame then, given her boundless energy that the vocals are occasionally drowned out by the four-strong band, not through any over-exuberance from musical director David Griffiths, but purely because of their unavoidable proximity to the action.

It proves an uneasy balance throughout the show and constantly tests the vocal power of cast members, but when you have young actors with the confidence and talent of Richard Brindley (Julian) and Kayleigh McKnight (Henrietta) to perform numbers like the touching ‘Dream-nights’, then this production never looks likely to disappoint.

There’s an impressively raw physical energy about the male woodlanders, not to mention a distinct whiff of testosterone in the air, their leader Angel being played with real edge by Christopher Hancock, while the beauty to offset his ‘beast’, Sylvia the fairie queen, is played perfectly with sultry, sexually charged mysteriousness by Daisy Tonge, aided by some visually creative set pieces.

Amid all the weird and mostly wonderful goings on is local vicar Plum, Michael Chance creating a persona of priestly perfection – all big smiles, a collection box probably always at the ready, and full of well-meaning words of encouragement for his ragged, eccentric flock of villagers. Their ludicrous amateur, chaotic enactment of The Banner of Saint George towards the end is a whole comedy in its own right.

The prize for priceless cameo comic performance though goes to Alastair Hill as Alexander, declaring his spell-induced passion in song for Jennifer (Rachel Flynn) as he skips around the stage with hilariously uninhibited abandon and perfectly judged eccentricity.

Even if some of the delicate lyrics are lost through a the lack of audible clarity, mostly during the solo numbers, Paul Clarkson’s production is a classic example of a talented cast working incredibly hard, staying focused and totally embracing the many interesting, complex roles. It helps, of course, that the score you’re working with is uplifting, varied and emotionally charged from the first note to the last. A visit to the Union Theatre over the next month could be what many fringe theatregoers’ dreams are made of.

Derek Smith

www.uniontheatre.biz/the-dreaming