Much of the Shakespeare at the Fringe this year has been performed with a twist: musicals, dance, physical theatre, spin-offs, the playwright's words given new meanings or even taken away altogether. So it was quite a treat to see WDG Productions make the decision to stick to the script in this straightforward performance, using Shakespeare's words to bring life to the popular play.A low-energy start to the piece had me worried that this was to be a very long hour and a half of my life. The cast speak their lines at snail's pace with many a dramatic pause, as if this were the only way to impart the meaning of the tricky Elizabethan language. Fortunately, with the opening of the second scene the company of labourers bring the play back on-track with an enthusiasm and pace the opening misses. Sally Willcox's portrayal of the overtly confident Bottom is spot-on and gets a laugh out of every gag, confirming her as the real star of the show. Dressed as if for a WI meeting (an excellent touch), the group have the audience relishing their every move with some excellent comic acting.As if gaining confidence from the previous scene's energy, the lovers' second appearance is leaps and bounds ahead of their first. They manage to have a lot of fun with their parts. Ailish Ford makes a superbly love-sick Helena, clutching at her beloved Demetrius's ankle as he drags her along the ground in an attempt to be rid of her.Although at some points the ensemble work feels a bit stiff - Titania's fairies awkwardly dancing around her in a few out-of-time moves didn't quite work – generally it is hard to believe this is an amateur production, with the acting ability of the whole cast at a near-professional standard.Although there isn't much of the 'razzle-dazzle' you might find in the more outlandish interpretations of this play, it's still a solid piece of theatre which kept the audience captivated through-out. A must-see for Shakespeare newbies.
