A storm is brewing in the forests surrounding Athens, and it isn't just the faeries quarrelling. The famed city itself has been redressed as an imposing fortress, white marble adorned with fascist insignia, guards marching around like stormtroopers, and the victorious King Theseus exalted by fanfare and choir. There hasn't been anything close to light-hearted wooing; a war has been held. And if Nazi parallels weren't distracting enough for you, wait until the yielding queen is wheeled into the throne room restrained body to toe, masked Hannibal Lecter style. This is no longer a quaint comedy but a piercing melodrama, demonstrated by the way that the soundtrack seems to strain and wail alongside Hippolyta when she tries to break free of her restraints.

Yet for all the soaring shots that fly out of windows and swoop over the glittering surrounding towns, director Russell Davies can't quite escape his Whosian roots: the cheesy special effects, the generous dash of camp, the implication that the world doesn't extend far from the set and frame. All the bombast and tyranny seems silly in comparison to genuine silliness, seen when the opening switches to the roll call of the Mechanicals in a hearty pub just outside the fortress walls. Bottom naturally draws the scene to himself, and no performance in the movie is bettered than that of Matt Lucas', beaming and bouncing from his very first step. The character can be easily lost in irritable boasts and showboating, but Lucas is lovable because of his inherent enthusiasm for the theatre and the performing arts, and we can therefore laugh at him without feeling like we are directing ridicule. With that dopey smile plastered permanently on his round face, the donkey ears are visible long before Puck's trickery.

But not even Bottom's infectious cheer can distract from Davies' main intent to rewrite all the wrongs of the original Shakespeare. The players' dreadful Pyramus and Thisbe should be a tonic to the soul, a resounding uplift in the wake of confusion, darkness and deceit. Here it is laced with underlying terror. With each mistake and fumbled line Theseus is ordering another execution, slashing a red cross with about as much menace as one could muster when asked to sentence a poor workman to death via iPad. John Hannah delivers his commentary on the comedic tragedy with underlying menace instead of playful sarcasm, and the rest of the audience eye him warily, adjusting their reactions accordingly, lest they too be crossed off. Where has the joy gone?

Turns out it's been jam-packed into the finale, a rapturous parade of both fairy and human celebrating the toppling of the the Theseus regime, and Hippolyta returned to her rightful place. You can see what Davies is going for, unleashing the torrent of fertility, sexuality and mysticism from the Early Modern English into the open. Magic in the air. Lovers reunited. All is mended. Titania may be fine with her little love-dazed tryst with a donkey (again, owing to Lucas),but what about poor Demetrius? The boy still has that dumbfounded look about him, mouth slightly agape, eyes only for Helena. There is a playful bit of misdirection earlier where he first falls for the spindly Lysander, but where is his happy ending? The original was problematic, no one could deny that. Why else is Puck offering amends to the audience, and sweeping the dust behind the door? Davis attempts to wave his magic wand and make everything all right, but Shakespeare was the most accomplished magician of them all. He had foreseen this problem already, and whispered a quick word to his Puck, who readied the flower's juice for the viewer. And what a spell we were put under.

Watched this production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', one of Shakespeare's best plays, with mixed to intrigued expectations. The cast is an immensely talented one, Matt Lucas is a bit take or leave for me but have liked Maxine Peake and John Hannah in a lot of things. Have enjoyed some of Russell T Davies' previous work. Was a bit worried though as to whether Davies would be a good fit for adapting Shakespeare and also while there are many great non-traditional performances around there are settings that sound wrong on paper and this was one of them.

Actually though, the setting worked surprisingly well and this 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' turned out to be very enjoyable. Was not actually expecting to enjoy it so much, as the setting (a specific one in the play) sounded so jarring and a lot on paper sounded wrong, and it is not for those that like their productions traditional and unabridged. Am not meaning this in a bad way, actually am mostly a traditionalist and the question of cuts is dependent on how many and how much they'll harm the drama, yet have always been open to new concepts. If one judges it on its own merits without prejudice they may be surprised.

Is this a perfect adaptation of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'? Not quite. The ending certainly is colourful and done with spirit, but for my tastes it was rather overblown too from trying to do more than it needed to and overlong.

Some of the sound quality could have been better too, which was quite underpowered and didn't always make the dialogue have enough clarity.

Which is a shame actually because the text in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is fantastic, it made me laugh hard frequently and brought a sincere lump to my throat at points too. There are cuts and playing around in this production, but not done in a way that affects the drama's cohesion or energy. Which is a relief because 'A Midsummer Night's Dream's' story is complicated at times. A story that is staged here with a lot of spirit and charm and despite the setting being different the spirit of the play remains the same surprisingly.

The modern and very political setting had a real danger of jarring too much or being heavy-handed, which was one of the main reservations people had when first hearing of it. Modern settings of very traditional plays do not always work due to distaste and having too many things that add nothing, but some have done due to it being intelligently staged, compelling and because the spirit of the work in question remains. The case with this 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there is a 'Doctor Who' influence but not too much in a way that it becomes too much of that and not enough of Shakespeare. Moreover, the setting looks good, especially the costumes and make-up while the scenery has colour and grit. The special effects are not too 'Doctor Who'-ish and don't look cheap.

Have nothing to criticise the cast for, who all seem to be having fun. John Hannah is a menacing Thesus and one of the most interesting interpretations of the role seen by me in a long time and ever. Maxine Peake is a witty and enchanting Titania, while Lucas is in his hilarious element as Bottom. The four lovers have great comic timing and pathos, which makes it easy to get behind them and their plight. The character relationships are always interesting, especially between Thesus and Hippolyta, and there were a few insightful touches that caused controversy before airing but were a lot more tasteful than they seemed on paper. Including a particularly controversial kiss and a brilliant 'A Comedy of Errors' joke.

In conclusion, surprisingly very enjoyable. Everything that got people wary and cross before it aired actually came over far better than expected. 8/10

Midsummer nights dream is considered one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies. This Midsummer nights dream comes alive and delights the senses.