I went to a Korean production of A Midsummer Night's Dream on April 30th. Of the plays that I have seen so far, this company knew how to adapt to the Globe stage the most effectively. They provided more information about their adaptation before the show, the text on the screens letting us know that Shakespeare's fairies have been replaced by Dokkebi, mischievous demon-like spirits of Korean folklore. Titania was now Dot, Puck was now the Duduri (twins), etc. Bottom was replaced by an old woman, searching for herbs in the forest. The mechanicals and Theseus' court were not even in the play.
The story changed little, even without those characters. The biggest change I can think of is the switching of the roles of Titania and Oberon. In this version, Dot is jealous of the affections her husband is giving young women (in fact, he sings a song about how quickly he falls in love), so she is the one who devises to make a potion with the help of the Duduri.
The Dokkebi had painted faces that worked well with their extravagant expressions. The movement and dance of the show was well choreographed. The Duduri had fun messing with the audience. Between the expressions and movement of the cast, this play was better communicated, I believe, to this audience than other companies had succeeded in doing. The audience loved it, and the applause just kept going and going at the end...
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