We take a look at what is being said about director Holly Race Roughan’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s play.
The Guardian: **** “In this wintery co-production between Headlong and the Globe, comedy and horror sit cheek by jowl, as director Holly Race Roughan conjures a nightmarish take on Shakespeare’s classic dream.”
London Theatre.co.uk: *** “Not everything in this production gels but it does lead to a genuinely shocking denouement. It isn’t easy to make amends and request the hand of friendship under such circumstances.”
London Unattached: ** 1/2 “This production might’ve been a tempestuous rage-fest balanced, ultimately, by an escape to the forest, to the delights of magic. But it doesn’t deliver on these much-needed counterpoints.”
The Reviews Hub: ** 1/2 “This wintry production promises to explore the play’s “shadowy underbelly”, as nearly every contemporary version does. In a world facing ever more serious challenges from climate breakdown and autocracy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream certainly has some urgently relevant themes. But the shock ending fails to elucidate them, bringing neither catharsis nor content.”
Time Out: *** “It’s certainly merry: perhaps the most successful innovation here is turning the light relief rude mechanicals into the serving staff at Theseus and Hippolyta’s feast at the start. It’s a funny concept, amusingly executed, especially when it becomes apparent that the reason Danny Kirrane’s Bottom – the chef – is so enthusiastic about volunteering for parts in the play is because he honks a couple of lines at the end of his shift.”
The Standard: **** “Directors Holly Race Roughan and Naeem Hayat turn what is usually a summery froth of fairies and lovers into a crisp and frosty fairytale, a kind of sexed-up Narnia, twisting a Grimm story out of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.”
Everything Theatre: *** “The boldest stroke of all, however, is making Theseus an utter bastard and his wedding to Hippolyta deeply and disturbingly dysfunctional. As the former, traditionally doubling as Oberon, Michael Marcus becomes believably malevolent, transforming into a gun-toting sadist at the point most other Theseuses are wrapping up the happy ending and leading the revelry. It’s a choice that is undeniably impactful, but it throws the play’s tonal balance even further into uncharted territory.”
British Theatre Guide: “This thoughtful, entertaining show includes the words of the original Shakespeare play and follows the sequence of its plot, apart from the rather sombre conclusion that is perhaps more in tune with the ruthless tyrants that now haunt our world.”
West End Best Friend: **** “A Midsummer Night’s Dream through the eyes of co-directors Holly Race Roughan and Naeem Hayat is visionary. Excellent dramaturgy by Frank Peschier supports an interesting adaptation of the text, of which this reviewer stands careful of branding all-together clever – but teeters on the side of doing so.”
The Telegraph: ** “Headlong Theatre’s radical production strips A Midsummer Night’s Dream of love and laughs, focusing instead on its grim elements.”
The Stage: **** “Holly Race Roughan and Naeem Hayat direct an unsettlingly dark and twisted take on the summer comedy.”
A Young(ish) Perspective: ***** “This production is a twisted, truly unforgettable version of one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, a witty comedy with the tragedy turned up to eleven. An unmissable piece in the Shakespeare’s Globe winter season.”
The production continues to play until the 31st January 2026.