Director: Andrii Bilous
Writer: William Shakespeare
In Ukraine, the humble Rhododendron flower is called Chervona Ruta, and there’s a folk tale that says once every ten years, if a girl can gives the bloom to her partner then he will stay with her forever. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, fairy Puck uses a flower to cast a love spell on two sleeping couples. Spotting this connection gave Kyiv National Academic Molodyy Theatre the keys to opening their interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most loved romantic comedies.
The text is translated into Ukrainian, although no knowledge of the language is actually necessary as the actors use movement, dance, song and live music played on a Cajon drum box, a tambourine and a pair of wooden spoons (which, with a bit of Sellotape, become hilarious ass ears later on). Even if you walked in not knowing the famous story as well as not speaking the language, you’d be able to follow exactly what is going on, as the seven performers have honed this act to perfection over a wide international festival circuit. It started life as a student project at a festival in Beijing, the initial pitch being worked up in only 10 days. And frankly, that’s more amazing than anything Shakespeare could have ever written, considering the conflict still happening in the Ukraine.
Kyiv National Academic Molodyy Theatre manage to pull so much comedy out of the text (although this is another show that relies on the ‘haha men kissing’ trope that is getting kind of old these days). Helena is especially fun to watch, and Puck’s interjections (often in English) to move the plot along or change the lighting or even the scene entirely are excellently pitched. The black box staging allows for quick progression of the story, and also some fun experimentations, like black outs created by simply blocking a floor light. It’s also interesting to see the reactions of this performance’s mixed Ukraine and English speaking audience, as the actors are reciting Shakespeare, albeit not a direct translation apparently, but one that retains the feel and iambic flow of the original. And honestly, even in English Shakespeare is sometimes hard to follow! The melding of Ukrainian traditional dance and folk songs and what is essentially a Greek myth written by an English playwright is a beautiful reflection of the support one country can give another in hard times, and this is the message that transcends the play performed. We are all improved by our interactions with different cultures. Even fairies.
Reviewed on Friday 28 April 2023 as part of the York International Shakespeare Festival
