THE MECHANICALS (Crew of Patches)****

  

By Dave

Link to Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkJ6JLqMLw4&t=30s

Link to Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrWuvxv8BkI

Link to Episide 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XffD3TFuLLQ 

Available until: Unknown

The Mechanicals is a retelling of the Mechanicals’ scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But it’s not just any retelling. They’re in the middle of a pandemic and their rehearsals at least need to be conducted online. Not easy when one of them is ‘slow of study’ and hasn’t figured out the Zoom camera yet and Bottom is still Bottom even in 2021.

It’s a great idea and a lot of fun. For anyone who doesn’t feel ready for the full Shakespeare play, this would be a great introduction. You get to know the Mechanicals, you get a little bit of Titania and the fairies, I think there’s enough here to whet even the most reluctant appetites.

But it isn’t just a bit of fun. This group of actors takes the play seriously – and they’re good. Some of them we know very well from TSMGO and other online companies, some of them are new to us but this isn’t just a group of actors messing around. It’s a group of seriously good actors who know how to perform Shakespeare. If you’re only interested in seeing Shakespeare performed ‘properly’ then give this a watch because it is proper Shakespeare.

Richard Ahsam directs the play and he really makes the Zoom idea work. There’s enough of it for us to remember the characters are on Zoom but not so much that it overshadows a great reading. I also like the way he sometimes shows all the actors on the Zoom call and sometimes just some of them.

You can’t have A Midsummer Night’s Dream if you don’t have a good Bottom and they don’t come any better than Eleanor Wilkinson. She’s full of energy and enthusiasm and she’s hilarious. Her characterisation is brilliant and there’s something about this Bottom that’s really loveable.

Charlotte E Tayler plays Quince and gives a great impression of a woman (man? non-binary?) on the edge. She’s brimming with confidence at the start and slowly losing control in the most entertaining way. I like the fact that they gave the role of Flute to one of the male actors and Jordan Lee shows his discomfort with the whole Thisbe business with style and class before really going for it in the performance.

Jeff King is a fun Snout, it’s good to see this character so animated as he can get lost a bit. Michelle Kelly is a very sweet Starveling and a very sensuous Titania. Both her characters are smiley but they are SO different. Incredible characterisation. Anthony Lally is a lovely anxious Snug.

This a great idea and really well put together – definitely worth a watch.