Writer: Alice Bloomer
Director: Maryam Grace
Running at just over half an hour, For Pucks Sake is a look into what happens when one of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters – the impish Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream – is transported from the Athenian forest to the Forest of Arden, setting of As You Like It.
Solo performer Alice Bloomer commands the space at the Fringe’s temporary Caravanserai, running round the intimate performance space and climbing on seats and the central tent pole. Bloomer undoubtedly brings energy to the show, needed as the pace slows in part. Yet even with this energy, the show has some obvious flaws. Bloomer is forced to relay to the audience other people’s dialogue as they appear on stage, the towering figure of Oberon lacks credibility as his magic goes unseen, and moments ripe for audience participation – set up in advance of the show – were left unused.
The show is ideal for a Fringe Festival and for any fans of the Bard; in fact the show would probably make little sense if you didn’t come to it with a fairly strong understanding of Shakespeare’s work.
Maryam Grace, directing, does what she can to make the show work in the small space. Between Grace and Bloomer they have created a world where Puck is entirely believable and entirely real.
For its flaws, the show has real heart.
For Pucks Sake is a show about magic, about nature, and about the magic of nature. Bloomer’s Puck is excited about the nature she discovers and the world it exists within, whether that’s the Shakespearian Forest of Arden or Brighton’s York Place, and the mortals she finds there. It is Bloomer’s excitability which make the show enjoyable, bringing high energy even with a small audience.
Performances on selected days until Friday 29 May.
