After more than 430 years, it is clear that William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream remains a timeless favorite. Emily Lim's new production at Shakespeare's Globe, opening less than three months after the previous Globe staging, feels refreshingly original. While not the most nuanced or revelatory interpretation, Lim's strength lies in creating large-scale participatory public theatre works, and here she uses the Globe's lively crowd to maximum effect. The production cheerfully deviates from Shakespeare's text with a joyous, nearly non-stop stream of audience interaction.
Audience Participation and Pre-Show Fun
The embellishments begin with a lengthy pre-show that recruits audience members into auditions for the Mechanicals. Initially, those dancing on stage appear to be cast members, but they are actually audience volunteers, many of whom receive callbacks throughout the performance. One lucky attendee even gets to play the Moon at the end. This interactive approach ensures that every performance is unique.
Star Performance by Michael Grady-Hall
Lim has enlisted Michael Grady-Hall, who previously played an anarchic, improv-heavy Feste in the RSC's Twelfth Night. Here, he reprises a similar character as Puck, the fairy henchman. His role is better modulated than in Twelfth Night, where magic routines sometimes halted the action. Grady-Hall's Puck is a woodland spirit so chaotic that he accidentally makes himself fall in love with an audience member. His performance is highly entertaining and a clear highlight.
A Good Vibes Only Production
This is a Dream focused on positive energy. Recent trends have interrogated the play's darker elements, such as tension between Theseus and Hippolyta or the power dynamics between Oberon and Titania. Lim's production does not ignore these but does not dwell on them. Audrey Brisson's Hippolyta/Titania is defined more by acrobatic, otherworldly physicality than angst. The cast is strong overall, with Adrian Richard delivering a memorable Bottom, portrayed less as an oddball and more as a charismatic, overearnest Tom Cruise type.
Design and Music
Fly Davis's design and Jim Fortune's score evoke a bucolic, half-modern, half-Elizabethan England, complete with maypole dancing and folk songs. The setting feels less like ancient Athens and more like an English summer, a nod to the play's ubiquity in that season. However, the precise nature of the setting is somewhat vague, and it is unclear if Lim has a deeper point beyond audience interaction. Nevertheless, the production's charm is undeniable, and by the time it ends in a bubble-filled finale, audiences are sure to be delighted.
Practical Information
Venue: Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. Transport: Tube Blackfriars, Mansion House, or London Bridge. Prices: £5-£85. Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes.
Dates and times: Fri 1 May 2026 at 19:30; Sat 2 May at 14:00 and 19:30; Sun 10 May at 13:00 and 18:30; Tue 12 May at 19:30; Wed 13 May at 14:00; Thu 14 May at 14:00; Fri 15 May at 14:00; Sat 16 May at 14:00, and more. Tickets available at the Globe website.
