George Balanchine created A Midsummer Night’s Dream for New York City Ballet in 1962. One year short of a half century later, his creation continues to entertain.
The Russian born choreographer’s fondness for Shakespeare’s fanciful tale of the misplacement of Cupid's arrow dated from boyhood when he himself had performed as an elf in a St. Petersburg production of the play. Clearly the experience was fresh in his mind when he created the roles for children whose sheer joy at their stage presence illuminated the night.
Despite the unadulterated joy they brought, Midsummer Night's Dream was a show where two adults in particular delighted a crowd already impressed with the fare on offer.
There is always a balance between technical prowess in performing your dance moves and acting skill demanded on the performers. Very rarely do PNB's actors go far wrong. Once in a while though, someone hits the mutli-tasking bullseye with the accuracy of an arrow.
Josh Spell as Puck portrayed the tragi-comic consequences behind the inaccuracies of Cupid's own arrow with an exhilarating accuracy of his own. Spell controlled the audience, often with as little as a nod of the head, a tilting of the angle of his neck, a glance askew or dramatically outstretched arms. He dominated the stage when on it, but did not over reach so much that his absence was noted when off it.
With his shock of fiery red hair, Spell had all the ingredients to mesmerise and enchant. The crowning ingredients were his sheer ability coupled with a seeming deep understanding of the part and of Shakespeare.
One hates to use phraseology so base as the show stealer's show stealer. If there was one, it came in the far shorter second half.
Prepared by the program to expect more of a jamboree of dancers carousing than anything else, the post interval brought a pleasure so firmly entrenched in the memory that I will certainly add it to Rubies in my pantheon of Pacific Northwest Ballet's great moments.
Carla Körbes and Jeffrey Stanton produced a divertissement so enthralling that it was worth the visit by itself. Such is the nature of the piece that the female was the star, so let me say first that Mr Statnton was the perfect foil for what the stunning Ms Körbes brought onto the stage.
On the stage would perhaps be misleading as so graceful and even weightless was Ms Körbes that she barely seemed to touch it on occasion, ably assisted in this achievement by Stanton’s acute understanding and anticipation of her movements.
Ms Körbes floated majestically across the McCaw Hall stage rather than danced on it, with a DNA seemingly closer to a butterfly than a human.
“Körbes performance was so magnificent; it may leave you heading for the nearest thesaurus”
Breath was inhaled and then called upon for support as the audience applauded vehemently for a display as acutely beautiful as you will witness for many a moon. I have always admired Ms Körbes from afar as a performer. Now I have a favourite performance to quote for my favourite performer.
Standing ovations are rare midway through a show. Only politeness to other performers and the orchestra by the always well educated audience, prevented even more of them rising to their feet to proclaim the glory of Ms Körbes’s performance
According to the PNB's own account Balanchine’s desire to bring this favourite theatre piece to the ballet stage waited more than twenty years while he searched for music with which to expand Mendelssohn’s original score to suitable length. Francia Russell and Kent Stowell received permission to rework a Balanchine creation from the Balanchine trust who control and authorise the use of his works. In 1997, PNB commissioned set and costume designer Martin Pakledinaz to re-design the entire production—a “first” for a Balanchine story ballet.
The designs should never steal the show, they should augment. They did. Perfectly.
Midsummer Night’s Dream, although it starts slowly, would be a perfect ballet to introduce children to the art form, probably second only to the times served Nutctacker. I feel with the Nutcracker though, the next ballet after would seem a stretch.
If you are serious about your children becoming ballet fans, then try MND as a starter. But don’t be surprised if they want to be the next Josh Spell or the next Carla Körbes.
Midsummer Night’s Dream runs from April 8 to 17 and you can buy tickets online.
More details on www.pnb.org
Cast:
Oberon ........................ Jonathan Porretta
Titania ........................ Carrie Imler
Puck ........................ Josh Spell
Hermia ........................ Chalnessa Eames
Lysander ........................ Olivier Wevers
Helena ........................ Maria Chapman
Demetrius ........................ Lucien Postlewaite
Hippolyta ........................ Ariana Lallone
Theseus ........................ Karel Cruz
Cavalier ........................ Batkhurel Bold
Bottom ........................ Ezra Thomson
Butterfly ........................ Rachel Foster
Divertissement pas de deux ........................ Carla Körbes Jeffrey Stanton
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