Stephen A’Court
Nine years is a decent gap between premières of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You remember the warm feelings of the first time, when it was commissioned by the company, but not necessarily the specifics, so tonight’s season première in Wellington was a renewed pleasure.
The Ryman Healthcare season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with choreography by Liam Scarlett and score by Felix Mendelssohn, surprised on a number of counts. We had come to expect excellence on numerous corners: for instance, the set and costume design by Tracy Grant Lord remains world-class. Complete with bridge and a second level, and plants resembling closed lily buds hinting at exotic poisons, the set is a masterpiece, with careful use of lighting effects and a sense of whimsy. Her costumes evoke the mystical world, one in which fairies and changelings reside, while the explorers come from an earlier age of discovery, perhaps contemporaries of Howard Carter over at the Valley of the Kings.
Kendall Smith’s lighting design added to the mystery, and the energetic Hamish McKeich conducted Orchestra Wellington faithfully to Mendelssohn’s score, with additional orchestration by Nigel Gaynor.
Those who aren’t familiar with Shakespeare’s play should still find A Midsummer Night’s Dream easy to follow, with a family-friendly storyline and plenty of comedic moments that landed well with the audience. The late Liam Scarlett—tragically gone too soon three years ago—brought a modern sensibility to the humour while respecting classical movement, bringing to life Shakespeare’s wit in the original.
The dancers made everything fall into place and the cast decisions tonight gave numerous members of the company a greater chance to shine. While truly an ensemble cast, the top-billed Ana Gallardo Lobaina (as Titania) and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson (Oberon) truly shone. We know Gallardo Lobaina to be a skilful dancer and more than capable of leading a cast, which she ably did tonight. In terms of sheer confidence among the dancers, Guillemot-Rodgerson truly came into his own as a leading male tonight. Physically capable but also able to bring soul and romance into his dance, he finds himself in the top tier of males in the company—and we include some of the past masters such as Sir Jon Trimmer and Qi Huan. The closing pas de deux between the two is a wonderful sight, showing dancers triumphant in their art and demonstrating just how creative Scarlett was.
Shaun James Kelly had many scene-stealing moments as Puck, bringing the requisite cheek to the role, including one entrance that Errol Flynn would have been proud of. Kirby Selchow, as Helena, also demonstrated she was more than capable of bringing the humour of a character to life. Calum Gray as Bottom found plenty of applause after his transformation into a donkey and convincingly danced accordingly, and his pas de deux with Gallardo Lobaina was captivating as it was funny.
All through were the familiar Mendelssohn themes, in particular the ‘Wedding March’, which originates from this score. We probably have Queen Victoria to thank for the tradition when her daughter, Princess Victoria, married Prince William of Prussia, and this piece was selected for the occasion.
Once again, this was a thoroughly enjoyable ballet, and a wonderful, festive pre-Christmas experience. A Midsummer Night’s Dream continues in Wellington till the 27th, before heading to Christchurch for October 31–November 2, then Dunedin for November 7, Palmerston North for November 12, Napier for November 16 and 17, Rotorua for November 21, Auckland for December 5–8, and Takapuna for December 13 and 14. More information, including booking, can be found at rnzb.org.nz.