By Tully Agostino-Morrow

Esme Timbery Studio One was ablaze with vivid lights, intricate makeup, and swinging high heels in director Olivia Castree-Croad’s flamboyant and sexually charged makeover of a timeless Shakespearean favourite.  

From the court of Athens to the mystical forest and back again, love triangles are broken, rewound and severed again as the unwitting plights of four passionate lovers are interfered with by the magical world. A gruff, scheming Oberon, played by Dimitra Mavrocordatos, and elegantly formidable Jared Gerschwitz in the role of Titania, cause mayhem for the Athenian mortals as the play unravels. What follows is a whimsical tale of desire in all its beautiful, ugly and manufactured forms. This is complemented, of course, by the innocently ambitious ‘Rude Mechanicals’, who are spearheaded by the strikingly dynamic and captivating Amelie James-Power as Bottom, a man in way over his melodramatic head as he gets swept up in devious fairy politics.

With her friend and AD, Zoe Le Marinel, Castree-Croad has taken the tried-and-tested comedy full of woodland magic, and the occasional sex joke, and given it their own spicy flavour. The element of drag adds a new kind of unapologetic fierceness to the theatre space – it’s bold, loud, and refuses to be silenced. For a play that already lends itself so readily to cross-dressing and gender manipulation, NUTS’ production was remarkably refreshing. This wasn’t just a redo of Shakespeare in fake moustaches and heels. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that this team understood drag and were so infectiously comfortable in it, to the point where it was actually informing their interpretation of the play. Those cast in female roles are so much taller than the others, emphasised by their massive platform heels, and made for some genuinely side-splitting scenes on stage. One is immediately drawn to a moment where Lysander, played by Eden Letch, has his head sandwiched between the breasts of the towering Helena and Hermia, played by Coll Burns and William Blanchfield. This hilarious and creative devotion to the physicality of drag as an art form had me both impressed, and in stitches. 

Aside from its technicality and design, the furthest protruding feature of this production was simply how downright funny it was. This was done through the ridiculous, hypersexual portrayals of the characters as they extracted every possible sexual innuendo, intended or not, and then stretched it to the point of snapping. And that’s where they left the audience, in that delightfully suspenseful state, teetering on the edge of something so erotic, even venereal, without a single promise that it wouldn’t go over the line. It never did, of course, but that didn’t stop the murmuring in the audience at certain moments as people whispered to each other with a jittery grin, “Wait, are they about to f***?!” 

There are certain expectations around the spectacle of drag-related shows, which NUTS’ production surpassed with nuance and real effort. Lead costume designer Scout McWhinney and their team created works of art, fusing classical elements with contemporary fashion. The gorgeous end products incorporated a variety of vibrant fabrics and textures that formed swirling visions as they reacted with the moody jazz bar lighting. It was clear the amount of care that was put into the costume design and execution, for example, how each of the four Athenians subtly matched their conclusive lover.  

However, the hair and make-up, designed by the formidable Adele Beaumont, brought these characters into a new realm of performance. From Oberon’s beard resembling green moss, to Demetrius’ chest where each stylised hair was individually drawn, to the coordinated powdered face and red, frizzy hair of Hermia – the hair and makeup was intricate to say the least. When they were all on stage together, the distinctive features of each character were surprisingly cohesive and somewhat mesmerising in the way a dream-like fantasy play should be.  

As I said, there was a noticeable level of comfort in the drag set-up that emanated from the cast, especially Bug Junipe as Puck, who strutted with impressive authority and purpose for such a young performer. But in a dramatic theatre context, tropic performances like these can only shine because of character portrayal like that of Helena, where Coll Burns’ pockets of real emotional vulnerability amidst the whimsical energy of the play were exactly the breath of contrast we needed to appreciate the absurd, dazzling moments.  

Castree-Croad’s fresh rendition of an old classic proved to be a balanced, and visually stunning realisation of a strong passion and appreciation for drag and Shakespeare. Taking elements of both drag and theatrical performance, NUTS leaves us with something that cuts through the rest, perhaps even indicating a collective push towards something new.  

Tully is a Creative Writing, English and Film student in his second year at UNSW. He is happiest while reading Vonnegut or Carver and backpacking through exotic, mountainous countries without a return ticket. Often seen with headphones on, one can only guess whether he is immersed in Italian opera or hardcore punk.