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The Dreaming Review – written by Nell (L6)
On Thursday 12 and Friday 13 May, the GWA was graced with an incredible performance of The Dreaming, written by Howard Goodall and Charles Hart, and directed by Mr Huntington, with musical direction by Mr de Voil. This musical told a modernised version of the Shakespeare classic, ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’, setting it instead in 1915 in a West Country village. The story follows a young, mischievous boy, Jack (Talitha G) who has lived in the forest his whole life and knows of its true magical nature. The audience watches eagerly as he introduces us to the powerful forest royalty, Sylvia (Sophie L) and Angel (Leo M), as well as the four young lovers, Jennifer (Darcey H), Alexander (Eddie R), Charlotte (Flo H), and Captain David Swan (Freddie G), and tells us this comedic, beautiful story of love and magic in the forest.
The character of Jack was brought to life by Talitha, as she was able to play him with energy and sprightliness, exactly how you would imagine a young boy running around in the woods. She met the perfect balance between the character’s confidence in the forest and nervousness around the magical beings and had the audience cheering her character on the whole time. Speaking of magical beings, Sophie and Leo brought the characters of Sylvia and Angel to life incredibly, with my personal favourite number being their introduction in ‘Heart of the Wood’. They both created gripping, powerful characters, who without a doubt ruled over the forest with an iron fist, supported by the forest children.
And then, of course, the classic Shakespearean story of the young lovers, lost in the woods. Darcey, Eddie, Flo and Freddie worked together with amazing chemistry in order to portray these characters, making the audience laugh in every scene that they were in. The group dynamic that they shared was wonderful, and each actor created believable, emotional characters that had the audience cheering for them throughout the performance.
However, one of the standout aspects of this production was the collaborative effort of the ensemble. This group of actors truly brought the show together, with every movement meticulously synchronised and every note perfect.
Upon watching this musical, one can really see how much energy and hard work went into the process of creating such an elaborate performance. The insanely high quality is a testament to the dedication of each and every actor on stage, as well as the incredible team who worked on this musical from off the stage. Well done!
Mr Dahl commented on the performance:
One of the best shows I have seen at Wellington, Wow! Take a bow Third & Fourth Form and what a fantastic first production from Mr Huntington.
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