Shakespeare in the Garden

Sometimes things just work out. We've all had those perfect moments with the right weather, the right company and the right food and drink, they only come once in a while and can't be recreated. For example, in 2010 we went to a performance of As You Like It in the front square at Trinity College. It was a beautiful sunny evening, we laughed and clapped warmheartedly and then walked home with smiles on our faces. The following year we were treated to a deluge!

The Dubh Linn Garden's are a wonderful, almost perfect, amphitheater. 

As luck would have it we had another similarly perfect night on Wednesday at the OPW's launch of Shakespeare in the Garden. It was perhaps the hottest day of the year so far and as the sun receded behind Dublin Castle we settled into the Dubh Linn Gardens to be treated to a performance of A Midsummer Nights Dream with a glam rock makeover.
I'd never noticed how the buildings around the garden form a perfect amphitheatre, it really was a fitting venue for Mouth on Fire's rendition of the play. Theseus and Hippolyta came on stage complete with electric guitars while Puck leaped about as a sort of happy hippy sprite. It all seemed to translate very naturally to the 1970s and I dare say the music even made it better! The cast were all wonderfully animated and every scene was perfectly choreographed. It was truly a joy to watch.

Titania wakes up and realises she's madly in love with Bottom! 

Demetrius declares his undying (drug induced) love for Helen!

Oberon frees Titania from the love potion spell! 

Unfortunately the performance is only running for 10 nights and already a number of shows are sold out with the rest filling up fast. This is a marvelous unique adaptation of a classic and I really advise booking here soon or else you'll be mightily disappointed.