The Alberta Ballet has outdone itself once again. In its continuation of its Shakespearean cycle, The Alberta Ballet presents one of Shakespeare’s most loved works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton on November 7th and 8th. This performance will be sure to bewitch you as it combines impressive performances with an amazingly crafted backdrop and an impeccable score by Mendelssohn from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare between 1594 and 1596. It tells the story of the interlocking plots of four young Athenians all searching for love. Hermia, the Duke of Athens daughter, has been chosen by her father to marry Demetrius. Rejecting this arrangement, Hermia elopes with her true love Lysander and escapes to the forest. Helena, Hermia’s best friend, who is in love with Demetrius, tells Demetrius the news in hopes on winning him over. Not to be outwitted, Demetrius follows Hermia and Lysander into the forest, and Helena follows.

Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena are now subject to the antics of the fairies that dwell in the forest. The King of Fairies, Oberon and his wife Titiana are in disagreement. With the assistance of the mischievous Puck, they retrieve the juice of a magical flower to make Titiana fall in love with the vilest creature in the forest, in order to teach her a lesson. Puck obeys the King, but in his absentmindedness, mistakes identities of individuals and inadvertently inflicts a comedy of errors amongst inhabitants and visitors of the forest.

The cast of this performance are spectacular. Once again, the highlight of A Midsummer’s Night Dream is the tremendous talent of Yukichi Hattori, who plays Puck. Not only is his dancing a mix of acrobatics and grace, his stage presence leaves one unable to take one’s eyes off of him. He effortlessly embodies all the comedy and fiendishness that Puck is.

Each dancer, in fact, looks similarly fluid in their part. Each performer graces the stage with an ethereal form that is so applicable to a Utopian world that makes up the play. Their talent and comedic timing only adds to the story, while their costumes and backdrop solidify it.

Felix Mendelssohn composed an overture inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1826. In 1843 his work was officially commissioned to be an accompaniment to the performance. This overture is performed by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The sound and musicality is tremendous.

Christopher Wheeldon, choreographer of the play and the founder of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, has the “goal of introducing a new spirit of innovation to classical ballet.” Mission accomplished. There are few performances that can captivate such a wide audience.

The Alberta Ballet is looking forward to an incredible season. Up next is The Nutcracker in December and then the unique Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and the Drum. Visit the official Alberta Ballet website for more information.

The Alberta Ballet

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

November 7th and 8th, 2008

www.albertaballet.com