For many of us - students in particular - Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream comedy has become so done-to-death that nothing will surprise us anymore.
The Lyric and Filter Theatre, returning to Hammersmith following a critically-acclaimed run in 2012 , brilliantly rejects that idea, with an adaptation a perfect balance between the classic text and complete and utter raucous silliness.
And despite some bizarre versions of the play being staged in the past, a beer-drinking Hipster Puck (Ferdy Roberts), a full live band and a huge food-fight, as well as Hyemi Shin's inventive mixed-media staging leads to a unique production bound to surprise or even horrify you.
The play relies on the audiences' imagination, using soundscape and song to create the world rather than with over-the-top costume or set changes. Sound engineering by Chris Branch and Tom Haines is used throughout to brilliant effect; psychedelic, buzzy fairies are created with sounds and echoey microphones, drawing the audience into the magic creatively.
This stripped-back set and costume allows the mad action, acting and humour to shine through well without being overpoweringly bonkers.
The fact that Bottom (Andrew Buckley) does not use a donkey costume means that his crude jokes and witty asides remain on the side of hilarious, rather than verging on cheesy as in some other adaptations.
The play itself runs for one hour and 40 minutes with no interval, supposedly so that the action is condensed and the audience never loses focus; however even with this in mind there were waffling moments and lulls in the action.
While the Mechanicals' - usually terribly dull - scenes were given a boost with writer Peter Quince (Ed Gaughan) turned stand-up comedian, certain lines fell a little flat for me.
And in turn, what made this adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy exciting was its daring sexiness, and experimentation with form and style; this boldness, along with slightly cringey audience participation however saw the play briefly tip into pantomime territory at points.
'Swept away'
With this considered, elements of the lovers' scenes - particularly Hammed Animashaun's Demetrius performing a Marvin Gaye-style soul ballad - were so totally mad and uninhibited that it felt impossible to care about the finer details of the play's form.
At this point, I felt myself swept away by the spectacle of the performance, uncaring of certain elements that weren't totally my taste.
What Sean Holmes and Stef O'Driscoll have achieved with their direction is a performance where nothing - from the fourth-wall-breaking acting style to the stripped-back set - is hidden or subtle, and yet still draws you in and completely absorbs you into a fun, imaginary world.
Shakespeare purists may find the play a little unorthodox, but tongue-in-cheek humour, overt sexuality and madness is arguably what the classic text is all about.
This irreverent version - which sees Iambic Pentameter transformed into rock song, fills old words with new life, and is a great balance between fun and traditional - could be perfect for giving A Level and GCSE students the motivation to find humour in the 16th Century words, that may otherwise be lost in stuffy monologue.
The Lyric's adaptation sees Shakespeare's famous and time-worn comedy brought into the 21st Century with all of its very best qualities intact: Messy, hilarious, and totally mad.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is at The Lyric until Saturday March 19. Tickets cost from £15 and are available online .
The Lyric Theatre, King Street, Lyric Square, Hammersmith , W6 0QL - 020 8741 6850
