The Globe Theatre brings new life to the classic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with a diverse cast. 

For its current season, the Globe Theatre has chosen quintessential summer fare in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (June 28 – October 13, 2019). Shakespeare’s story is a wacky romp through an enchanted wood where faeries attempt to square romantic triangles only to create octagons. There is even a play within the play to double your theatrical pleasure. 

The challenge of putting on a play performed for over 400 years is significant: balancing of accessibility with originality. In its 2018 annual review, the Globe’s CEO Neil Constable stated a mission of “helping to make Shakespeare accessible to all and maintaining [Globe’s] position as the foremost destination for many visitors to begin a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare.” 

Toward that end, the theatre has maintained a price of £5 each for 700 of the tickets sold for each performance (40 percent). These “yard” tickets are for standing in the space closest to the stage. While certainly financially accessible, this type of access means only those fit to stand the whole two and a half hours of the performance can partake. Children observed at a recent performance appeared happy to be able to roam relatively freely in the yard throughout the play.

The Globe’s choice to blind-cast the show enabled an exceptionally diverse cast. Appearing in the role of Bottom, a traditionally male role, is Jocelyn Jee Esien whom Globe patrons might remember as Doctor Faustus in the similarly gender-swapped production of Marlowe’s play in 2018. A majority of the traditionally male roles of “mechanicals” (Bottom, Peter Quince, Snug, Snout) are played by black women. Additionally, three out of the four lovers (Helena, Hermia, Lysander) are played by black actors.

With so many gender swapped roles and most costumes not strictly indicating the character (apart from one role that is shared by all the actors at different times throughout the show as indicated by a t-shirt reading “Puck”), a familiarity with the basic plot of the story will be helpful to a full appreciation for the production’s quirks.