An opera singer, towering puppets, ballerinas and a performing dog… anything is possible when Russia’s most ingeniously creative director, Dmitry Krymov, stages Shakespeare.

Krymov defies theatrical convention to conceive spectacles of scale, invention and wonder. He follows his summer presentation of Opus No 7 with this glorious retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

With promise of a live dog included in the cast, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It) focuses on the ‘rude mechanicals’, amateur actors attempting to perform the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe for an audience of restless dignitaries. Feats of physicality abound as the troupe struggles with its depiction of the ill-fated lovers, played here by figures standing five-metres-tall. Amid the mayhem, though, moments of real and moving grandeur equally captivate.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It) is suitable for ages 12+ and is performed in Russian with English surtitles.