A Midsummer Night's Dream at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Globe Theatre's lively production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is frequently hilarious, doing justice to Shakespeare's comic genius if less so to the fantasy elements of this many-layered play. Shakespeare's Globe in London is a reconstruction of the 1599 Globe Theatre where Shakespeare himself appeared as an actor. Founder Sam Wanamaker's vision was to present the Bard's works the way they were first performed - in daylight (here replicated by leaving the houselights on) and using only the kind of costumes and scenery available 400 years ago.

This production illustrates the strength of this approach as well as its limitations.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is made up of three stories: four young lovers are paired off after a series of mishaps; a bumbling group of artisans set out to stage a play with dire results; Oberon, King of the Fairies and his wife Titania are reconciled after a bitter feud.