An electrifying Dream from the Royal New Zealand Ballet

The Vodafone Season of A Midsummers Night’s Dream
Royal New Zealand Ballet
St James Wellington August 20, then Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch until August 29, ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland September 2-6; Civic Theatre, Rotorua September 10; Regent on Broadway, Palmerston North September 16; Municipal Theatre, Napier September 19-20

There was a collective gasp of amazement when the curtain went up on the first act of A Midsummers Night’s Dream. The audience was immediately transported to the magical, mysterious world of the fairies, the land of Oberon and Titania created by Shakespeare and reinvented by the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

The company has created a ballet which is a total art work; costumes, set design lighting, music, choreography, and talented dancers combine in a totally compelling and satisfying production. It is a ballet about love, passion, infatuation, jealousy and reconciliation set in place where children’s fantasies merge with adult dreamworld.

Much of the success of the ballet is down to the genius of British choreographer Liam Scarlett who has managed to create a new vision of the work creating an enchanting new reality.

The ballet’s comedy of errors is set in train when the King of Fairyland, Oberon, with his helpful sprite, Puck, attempt to change the course of true love, resulting in several of the characters falling in love for another, having had a magical juice dropped into their eyes. One of these new romances develops between Oberon’s queen Titania and a local rustic, Bottom, whom Puck has also given a donkey’s head. MacLean Hopper as Oberon gave an exceptional performance in both his solos and duos. In his first solo, having been outmanoeuvred by Titania, he displayed a range of conflicting emotions – pride, anguish, anger – all conveyed with aggressive leaps and extravagant posturing. His crisp gestures and mime used to convey his commands to Puck were elegant and effective.

Tonia Looker as Titania gave an equally compelling display, investing the part with a real depth of emotion, which she conveyed with her effortless dancing, culminating in her final duo with Oberon where she displayed annoyance, followed by a coquettish indifference and finally a romantic sensuality. Looker provided a delicacy of dancing which was reinforced by the bevy of fairies who occasionally filled the stage.

The major comic part of the dance is the relationship between Bottom and Titania, which is a strange meditation on the nature of love combining the elegance of Titania and the bumbling Rustic. Dancing the part of Bottom is difficult as the dancer has to be both a dim-witted donkey and a sensitive lover. Harry Skinner managed to get the character just right, delightful when he performed en pointe with Tonia Looker, their mixture of classical and slightly inelegant dance producing superb comic moments as when he nuzzles her breast with his donkey head.

Puck, danced by Kohei Iwamoto, showed a relentless energy, his seemingly rubber legs, his sprightly dancing and mighty leaps were electrifying and rewarded with audience approval.

The two pairs of mere mortal lovers in the form of some explorers – Lori Gilchrist, Joseph Skelton, Abigail Boyle and Paul Mathews provided a colourful series of inspired and inventive dances with energetic displays, superb timing and comic acting. The corps de ballet as the fairies and other insects and flowers were more than just groups of flittering creatures, they played an integral part as symbols of love and affection. They moved about the stage like a living, pulsating cloud of tenderness, helping to create the sparkling and mysterious fairy world. Liam Scarlett’s creative and imaginative direction can be seen in the way he was able to integrate costumes, lighting and set in a miasma of silvery blue, which provided a real sense of a mythical fairy kingdom. Every facet of the ballet was entwined with Mendelssohn’s music, which the NZSO under Nigel Gaynor delivered with a delicacy and romanticism worthy of the production, always superbly timed and nuanced.

John Daly-Peoples has a relative on the board of the RNZB.

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