Music: Benjamin Britten
Text: Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears after the play by William Shakespeare
Director: Matthew Eberhardt
Opera North’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is back for a second revival, this time by director Matthew Eberhardt from Martin Duncan’s original. This is a welcome return of a signature minimalist aesthetic, drawing audiences back into a magical realm of the midsummer forest. Though this forest is no leafy den; this is a futurist, minimalist, place. Think large slabs of corrugated perspex like tree trunks, and huge transparent cloud spheres, escapees from some giant lava lamp. These 1960’s references are a nod to the decade the original piece was developed by composer Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears.
These 60’s references continue throughout the production, grounding it in creative and historical context. The costumes by Ashley Martin-Davis, feature floaty frocks to patterned suits, perfectly encapsulating the dreamlike world. The fairy sprites, often portrayed as whimsical and light-hearted, here are more akin to Village of the Damned (1960) the British science fiction horror film. Dressed uniformly in white with blonde wigs, these little creatures’ eeriness adds a layer of tension to the already otherworldly atmosphere, making the fairies both enchanting and slightly menacing.
Puck too, played with dynamism by Daniel Abelson, is less mischievous and more feral energy, bringing an untamed wildness to the stage. He scuttles across the forest floor, part beast, part acrobatic, morphing between human and animal.
These stylistic and character choices work well because they align with Britten’s style and score, here under the masterful baton of Garry Walker. From the delicate glissandi of the strings that open the opera to the rich blend of woodwinds, horns, and Eastern-influenced chiming’s, the music wraps the audience in Britten’s brilliance.
The rude mechanicals, are as always, a highlight of this production. Henry Waddington’s brilliantly comic Bottom, provides some of the evening’s most memorable laughs, but every member of their motley crew holds their own, creating a cohesive comic ensemble.
As for the lovers – Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius – played by Camilla Harris, Siân Griffiths, Peter Kirk, and James Newby respectively, their performances are infused with youthful exuberance and comic flair. So too Oberon and Titania played by James Laing and Daisy Brow are a treat to hear. Titania’s love scene with Bottom is another standout moment.
The decision in the original work to omit the first scene of Shakespeare’s play, which traditionally introduces Theseus, Hippolyta, and the court of Athens, is a curious one. While in doing do Britten shifts the immediate focus of the opera from the political intrigue of the court to the mystical world of the forest and its inhabitants. However, this choice makes the sudden introduction of Theseus and Hippolyta in the third act feel somewhat disorienting, particularly to those unfamiliar with the story.
Ultimately, Opera North’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a dreamlike journey through both Shakespeare’s and Britten’s genius, tied together with a flair that feels fresh even in this latest revival.
Runs until 31st October 2024.
The Reviews Hub Score
Joyous, Spritely, Dreamy
