Who would have thought that the modern TV show Love Island and Midsummer Night’s Dream would have anything in common. One’s a Shakespearian play that despite being a comedy still has Shakespear’s characteristically difficult lines which one could argue often deters modern audiences. While the other is a modern reality TV dating show, which features day to day lingo which makes it relatable. Naturally, one would never pair these two sources of entertainment together and yet New Stagers did just that. Not only did New Stagers connect the dots between these two vastly different means of entertainment but they also managed to mesh them together in their unique adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the result? An overwhelmingly positive response from the audience packed theatre.
The play used Love Island’s catchy phrases and story line to break through A Midsummer Night’s Dream perplexing and obscure language. This was achieved through a clever mixing of commonly known quotes used throughout the TV show such as “at the hideaway” or “I’ve got the ick” in between the Shakespearian lines. This highlighted the humour of the original play while also making the adaptation more accessible and easier to understand. The adaptation also stylised the stage, the lights, the music, and the outfits in a way in which they all fit in with the Love Island theme. The actors pranced on stage dancing along to the TV show’s theme song, while the lights flashed various vibrant colours. This along with beach chairs as set gave the play a modern feel. Even the outfits looked like they belonged in the TV show and not in a Shakespearian play. However, despite the contemporariness of the clothing the two female leads Hermia and Helena donned dresses that gave a subtle nod to the ancient Greek style.
Despite being riddled with Love Island references the adaptation still stayed fairly true to the original text of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, another unique twist came when the actors started speaking. They broke the rhythm of the formal verse by using modern accents. The actor who played Lysander was particularly noteworthy in this due to his character’s strong Newcastle accent. The accent and intonations completely contrasted the formal lines spoken in the best way possible.
There were moments however where the Shakespearian lines were less interrupted with the modern phrases which instantly made the understandability of the play drop. Another important thing to note is that sitting in seats further away from the stage significantly decreased visibility. In a few instances actors were sitting on the floor which made them practically invisible to the people seated in the back row.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs until the 16th of August with tickets available at: https://www.thespaceuk.com/shows/2025/
Reviewer: Marcelina Kruczynska
Reviewed: 12th August 2025
North West End UK Rating: