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South African Mini-Series Reinterprets Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ with All-Black Cast

Posted byBy Stan | Published on: CommentsComments (1)

I’m intrigued by this new TV mini-series that started airing on South Africa’s SABC1 last week Thursday night.

Titled Dream World, it’s a contemporary all-black South African adaptation of William Shakespeare‘s A Midsummer Nights Dream, and follows 4 young lovers as they face several comedic challenges on their way to finding true love.

This dance of desire will be familiar to the youthful South Africa, and hopefully the series will give them pause for thought. Who amongst them hasn’t been swept along by infatuation? And who hasn’t felt as if they’ve stepped into a dream? Dream World takes place in a predominantly artificial world located within the hospitality industry. The setting is an all in one estate that offers plenty of luxury. This world is a world where people are actively seeking diversion, and strange liaisons are made to be broken, dreams are dashed, and the central section of the miniseries sees the couples swapping partners as if they were to be sampled.

Shakespeare’s own A Midsummer Nights Dream takes place mostly in a forest, and is essentially an ensemble piece with various protagonists…

Read more: Tambay A. Obenson, Indie Wire

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