Hollywood fun, comedy played well, especially 'Pyramus and Thisbe' at the end. Soundtrack includes much Italian opera.

George Balanchine put together this ballet from Mendelssohn's music. Titania and Bottom steal the show with their dance together.

Haitink and Hall get together for a Glyndebourne staging of the Britten opera. Wonderful, I probably prefer it over the Carsen above.

Purcell's Fairy Queen is a masque interspersing itself into the Midsummer tale. This is the best performance of it overall.

Lampe's one-act comic opera, libretto very closely based on Shakespeare play within play. Funny parody of Handel, particularly the Lion's 'Ladies don't fright you, I will delight you'.

Full cast audio dramatization, with music from the Purcell masque. If not a classic performance, the chance to imagine the scenes oneself with just the voices is not to be missed.

Penguin Popular Classics edition. Give a copy to the young backpacker as she sets off.

Oxford critical edition. Read the introductory essay and then impose your new insights on anyone who wears comedy ears in your presence.

Ideal school edition. Hand out a copy to new students, warning, "How quick bright things come to confusion."

Manga Shakespeare - a Lamb's Tales for our time, cleverly laid out, only lightly abridged. Enchanting - or else the Puck a liar call.

Songs for the lute - second-rate performances EXCEPT for one track, the lullaby for Titania sung to the tune Robin Goodfellow, which is sharp and bonny. Treat the CD as a single and get it for this.

And other works dealing with Oberon & his fairy crew...... Influenced Shakespeare; listen to this reconstruction and imagine the Inigo Jones setting.