School Version

9. Puck & Fairy

Satchels, uniform and plimsoles indicate fairies of the primary school variety. The fairy who seems to have a crush on Puck, squats in playground fashion as she looks up at the Fairy King's "pensioner" (gentleman of the royal bodyguard, chosen for birth, height, and good looks).

Note the fairy's clothes: a straw hat and a pair of "monpe", loose trousers tied at the ankles, a form of work-clothes commonly worn by women during the war. Here the fairy, despite her wings, squats like a school kid.

Her costume also seems to be the product of Deguchi's fantasy and nostalgia for the past. There is an obvious difference between this more innocent "rural" fairy and the early maturing mini-skirted "urban" variety.

Compare to the Bar version (Bar 14. Puck's introduction) and Mask version (Mask 6. Puck & Fairy in masks). Contextualisation allows the director to stress one side of a given continuum (School student=fairy; Bargirl=fairy; Actor=fairy) over another at any moment.

A Midsummer Night's Dream