This is a slightly different adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Tomahawk Theatre: but it kind of works. The great thing about this play is that you can draw out different aspects depending on the strengths of your cast. For Tomahawk this means brilliant physicality, camp comedy and a sort of so-tacky-its brilliant, off-kilter interpretation.

While unsettling at first, this stylisation comes to work rather well as the mystical scenes become unusually sinister and cruel. Certainly this idea is in Shakespeare’s writing but it’s not often brought out with such a demonic twinkle. And special mention has to go to Puck (who owes a hat-tip to A Clockwork Orange in his presentation), who leaps, cartwheels and backflips through his scenes while screeching and squeaking his lines like a true jester.

Attention must also be paid to Bottom, the unwitting second jester of the play. Again, Tomahawk’s actor played this role with energy and a total willingness to fall into the absurdity and ridiculous pomposity of the character. In fact, the whole cast of the play-within-a-play seemed wonderfully willing to make total fools of themselves in the service of comedy.

Sadly, it was raining the evening I reviewed this, so I saw it in a rather cramped church hall, rather than the much better outdoor setting of the Oxford Castle, but even with those limitations, I definitely enjoyed myself.