Bottom’s Dream 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Written by and starring Martin O’Connor 

Directed by Debbie Hannan 

Martin O’Connor plays Nick Bottom who has dreams of being an actor. His working-class background however dictates he goes into a trade just like all his family. He is a weaver on a zero-hour contract which gives him the evenings to pursue his dream. 

He joins a drama class his classmates are there paying fees and talk like thespians. He has got in on his postcode and to their ears he can be only cast as the drunk, the tramp or the junkie.

He is at the bottom, the lowest of the low, the manky bit you wipe clean, he knows his “name makes an arse of me!”

Things change when he is given the part of a donkey in a drama class exercise, he takes the part and goes viral with his rant, he haw, he haw, he haw, thinks will come of it.

Will the power of social media get his name seen and can he be remembered as more than donkey boy. 

Based on a Midsummer Night’s Dream and the character Bottom, Martin O’Connor has written his Bottom in iambic pentameter unlike Shakespeare’s working-class characters which are given prose.

Written in Scots with a distinctly Glaswegian flair Martin’s script highlights the difficulties in getting on stage if you are working class and can’t afford the exorbitant fees of a drama education. 

He has wonderful pieces woven into the play, like his weaving analogy of spinning a yarn and missing the thread.

Martin’s script incorporates many Shakespearean pieces; the most recognisable part was a montage of the best quotes delivered to agent Titania Peasbody which he was made to give in ever embarrassing ways finally ending them with expressionist dance. 

This excellent piece delivered in Martin O’Connor's inimitable style hot on the heels of his success with “Through the Shortbread Tin.”  He is a captivating performer who delivers the full play as an epic poem, he expertly captures the comedy and the speeches which he gives full Shakespearean gravitas to. 

Directed by Debbie Hannan who never lets the pace drop. Although based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream you don’t need to know the play to fully understand the play. 

I knew nothing of the play however in the bar afterwards I heard conversations that explained where some of the speeches came from.

Although Bottom’s Dream is based on getting in to the acting world the same analogy could be transferred to any job where the background or the accent of the applicant could be detrimental to getting the position. 

Bottom's Dream is a very enjoyable hour of theatre, if you can make it when it transfers to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh you are in for a Dream of a play!