A Midsummer Night's Dream

Arkangel Shakespeare

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Amanda Root, David Harewood, Roy Hudd

Shakespeare's most imaginative and merry play is set in an enchanted wood amidst fairies and sprites.

When Oberon, King of the Fairies, uses his magic upon four runaway lovers in a midsummer wood outside Athens, chaos ensues. Who really loves whom? Meanwhile, a band of well-meaning but bungling local actors have their rehearsal sabotaged by the mischievous Puck, who bewitches their leader, Bottom, and Titania, the Fairy Queen. The result is a lively and anarchic comedy that can only be resolved by an elaborate disentangling of spells.

Hermia is played by Amanda Root, Oberon by David Harewood, and Bottom by Roy Hudd.

Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Shakespeare Comes Alive!

Arkangel always delivers wonderful Shakespeare performances! I was hesitant starting this one because of the reviews criticizing some of the non-European accents used in the performance, but I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I strongly disagree with the negative reviews. I thought the diverse accents were great and gave the performance a unique twist. I also disagree that they sounded fake or were offensive in some way. I thought they sounded realistic and I enjoyed the diversity of the cast. And as always, I enjoyed the sound effects. They really help you visualize what's happening. Overall another great take on Shakespeare from Arkangel.

Delightful performance

The dramatization was well done with distinct voices and musical cues, and I especially enjoyed the Jamaican accents for Oberon and Titania. Thoroughly enjoyable listen.

I loved it! So funny.

This was a pleasure to listen to! This play overall is hilarious, and the actors did a fantastic job. I will definitely listen to it again sometime.

A great performance of a Shakespeare favorite

A Midsummer's Night Dream has more physical comedy than most of Shakespeare's plays, and you're missing out if you don't see Oberon and Titania and the rest of the fairy court, so I wasn't sure how enjoyable this purely audio presentation would be. But it's a delight. Oberon and Titania are otherworldly, and sound effects make it clear what's going on to make up for the lack of visual cues.

This is a comedy about two pairs of youths, one in love and the other couple both in unrequited love. Their flight into the fairy woods, a well-intentioned fairy king (and a not so well-intentioned Puck), a troop of actors, and a quarreling fairy royal couple, all collide in a funny, magical fantasy that gets untangled with a happy ending, unlike Shakespeare's other famous play about star-crossed lovers.

Definitely a great way to experience this play, although still better on stage.

Shakespeare's classic done well

Would you consider the audio edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream to be better than the print version?

Performances of Shakespeare are always preferable to print because the actors and interpretation bring life to the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Midsummer Night's Dream?

I love the Rude Mechanicals both rehearsing and doing their play, and I really enjoy the ending scene with the blessing of the house and Puck's goodbye.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Oberon and Titania were my favorites here, and I love the added layer of the Jamaican accents for the characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh. It's a comedy!

Any additional comments?

This is Shakespeare well done, and I thought the audio effects contributed nicely including the music. I did think that sometimes the background noises and music were a bit too loud. If there were a little better balance it would have be easier to focus on the language of the play itself.