Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

1920s Walking Around in a Dream

 
Nicholas Abrams Review by Nicholas Abrams 2 Published: 4 Jul 2026 125 Bathurst St Show Dates: 4 Jul 2026-12 Jul 2026

There are productions that immediately give the impression you’re watching seasoned professionals at work. 1920s Walking Around in a Dream isn’t one of them. Instead, it has the feel of an enthusiastic amateur production: full of commitment, plenty of smiles, and a cast clearly enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, enthusiasm alone isn’t always enough.

Not quite the bee’s knees

Inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Natalie Kaye’s musical relocates Shakespeare’s romantic entanglements to a prohibition-era Chicago speakeasy, complete with flappers, moonshine and gangsters. It’s a premise that sounds more intriguing on paper than it proves in practice. The plot follows the familiar lovers-lost-in-the-woods formula, but the characters never develop much beyond broad caricatures, leaving the story feeling predictable rather than inventive.

The production also struggles technically. Choosing not to mic the cast means many of the vocals are lost against the backing tracks, and for a musical set in the Jazz Age, I couldn’t help thinking a live pianist would have been both more authentic and more effective. The choreography fares little better, lacking the polish or energy needed to lift the production.

That isn’t to say there’s no talent on stage. Gareth Finnigan stands out with strong vocals and an assured stage presence, making the most of material that often feels rather corny. The rest of the cast are undeniably committed and immensely likeable, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the production even when the script gives them little to work with.

The dialogue, meanwhile, aims for authentic 1920s slang but often feels more like a collection of every gangster cliché ever committed to film. Phrases that might have raised a smile once quickly become repetitive, and I found myself doubting that anyone in the Jazz Age actually spoke this way.

It’s evident that a great deal of work has gone into bringing this production to the Fringe, and anyone who gets a show onto a stage deserves credit for that achievement. I genuinely wanted to enjoy it, and there are glimpses of what it might have been. But despite the enthusiasm on display, 1920s Walking Around in a Dream never quite becomes the bee’s knees.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Grab your glad rags, we're putting on the Ritz! Fun flappers & zany bootleggers have madcap love affairs in the Roaring Twenties in this witty screwball musical comedy inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 1920's music by Cole Porter, Fats Waller, Jerome Kern & more in new musical arrangements by Director Declan Meagher, recently of Disney Cruise Line.