Award-winning and fabulous Flabbergast are an ensemble who always like to leave a lasting impression. Now, following on from 2022’s bizarre, remarkable and critically acclaimed production of Macbeth, comes this splendidly imaginative show: a fun, frivolous, fantastic and fast-moving celebration of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

And it’s a play that really is a perfect vehicle for a theatre company which, given their name, presumably like to leave their audiences flabbergasted... 

Accessible language, likeable characters and a series of comic capers with an ass combine to make Dream one of Shakespeare’s most popular works. For those not familiar with the storyline, young lovers Demetrius and Lysander both fancy Hermia, leaving Helena sitting on the shelf. Meanwhile, the king and queen of the fairies, Oberon and Titania, are up to no good. And as for the mystical and mischievous sprite Puck - well, to put it plainly, she’s got her finger in more pies than Mr Kipling. Add in a group of rude mechanicals and the recipe for success is guaranteed...

As we fast approach the winter solstice, this magical midsummer yarn is a production well worth catching. Sure, this is Shakespeare’s much-loved and oft-performed comedy - but not as we know it, might imagine it or would visualise it. For a start, the action takes place around an old haywain (which is an obsolete word for a large, horse-drawn open vehicle used to carry bails of hay). It’s easy to visualise an Elizabethan touring theatre company arriving in towns and villages in just such a contraption, eager to entertain local folk with their latest theatrical offering.

A cast of eight take on the challenge of playing all of the characters, their imaginative interpretations of some of Shakespeare’s most famous and best-loved creations being ably assisted by a clever use of masks. Memorable moments include Oberon (Krystian Godlewski) walking on spring stilts - making him look more like a mythical creature than a man - and Demetrius (Nadav Burstein) and Lysander (Elliot Pritchard) miming a great comic fight over Helena - in slow motion, in the back of the haywain. There’s also a stand-out performance full of mischief from Puck, who’s played by the exceptional Lennie Longworth, making her professional debut and surely kickstarting a stellar career.

Excellent choreography, enjoyable folk singing, a high level of energy and a capacity to at all times look spontaneous further ensure that this immersive experience is a real joy to watch.

Flabbergast are an ensemble of physical-theatre specialists well worth checking out. Their productions brilliantly showcase their off-the-wall creativity. Meanwhile, their admirable commitment to presenting work that is irreverent, absorbing, compelling and thought-provoking ensures a theatrical experience which, at worst, is never dull, and at best, something to behold. 

Check them out while they’re in the region. You never know... at the end of the night, you might even find yourself leaving the theatre feeling well and truly flabbergasted. 

Four stars

Flabbergast’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was reviewed by Sue Hull on Tuesday 21 November at Malvern Theatres, where it shows until Saturday (25 November)