On a midsummer's night Hermia and her lover Lysander flee from Athens and Demetrius - the man Hermia's father favours as a son-in-law. Demetrius follows, pursued by Helena who loves him in spite of being spurned in favour of Hermia. On the same night Bottom and his friends leave Athens to find somewhere quiet to rehearse their play which is to be performed at the wedding feast of Duke Theseus. Drawn into the woods they enter a world of magic, mystery and wonder. This enchanting retelling of Shakespeare’s romantic farce sees the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, recast as Korean wood sprites (Tokebi), their roles reversed, Puck as twins and Bottom a country-woman who turns into a pig. The tangled tale of four lovers is told through a blend of dance, percussion and mime intermingled with Korean language and folklore and is packed with visual humour and bursting with physical energy. Performed in Korean with English surtitles. Running time approx. 90 mins with no interval| 27 Jun 06 to 1 Jul 06 | Barbican Centre West End, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
