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Bollywood, Banjoleles, Ballads and Beyonce! A Musical Dream

Emma Rice's 'riotous and celebratory' Dream is infused with music - from the eerie underscoring of Puck's plotting to impromptu strains of contemporary Pop - and even a George Formby homage for good measure!

Composer Stu Barker was tasked with mixing Indian and Elizabethan music, with a touch of punk. The result was a riot of styles, interpreting traditional text and introducing more unusual elements to tell the story. Here are a few of our favourite moments from this infectiously musical production.

  • The live stream of A Midsummer Night's Dream is available to watch online internationally for 6 months.

  • All the background to this 'riotous and celebratory' production, from ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Shakespeare Lives

Meow Meow as Titania & Ewan Wardrop as Bottom - A Midsummer Night's Dream (credit: Steve Tanner)

Lysander's song 'to his mistress'

These lyrics come not from Shakespeare but John Donne - and his poem .

Lysander sings to Hermia

A ballad on guitar - from Shakespeare's Globe's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Bottom goes a bit George Formby

Left alone having scared off his colleagues with his newly transformed appearance as an ass, Bottom amuses himself with a ditty - and wakes Titania, who becomes instantly smitten...

Bottom and his banjolele

A love song between Bottom and Titania, Queen of the Fairies

A blessing from Oberon and Titania: Jill shall have Jill and Jack shall have Jack

"Hand in hand, with fairy grace, Will we sing, and bless this place" - Titania

Here, the script calls for a song and dance. And to embellish an earlier line from Puck ("Jack shall have Jill; Nought shall go ill") Titania and Oberon come together for this beautiful duet.

Jack shall have Jill (and Jill shall have Jill)

Titania and Oberon duet in Shakespeare's Globe's Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare meets Bollywood meets Beyonce!

Hermia flaunts to Helenus the fact that she and Lysander are off to elope to get married.

A Beyonce-infused Midsummer Night's Dream

Bollywood Beyonce finds its way into Shakespeare's Globe's Dream Live

A final jig to close the show

A spirited and energetic closing dance featuring the whole cast, as they prepare to take their bows from a delighted audience.

The final dance from the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream

From the live production filmed at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Meet the composer and musicians

During our live coverage at Shakespeare's Globe before the final performance, presenter Lindsey Chapman met composer Stu Barker and Music Director Pat Moran. And Lindsey even got to have a go on a sitar, as she sat down with musician Sheema Mukherjee.

How did Stu and the team interpret director Emma Rice's vision? Find out everything you could possibly want to know about the music used in the show.

The Midsummer Musical Journey - Shakespeare's Globe's Dream

Lindsey Chapman meets the Composer and MD and has a go on a sitar!

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