A Midsummer Nights Dream

Boston Ballet presents George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a lucid and inventive telling of Shakespeare’s play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was Balanchine’s first original, full-length ballet. Called by critic Clive Barnes, “a fantasy spectacle of love,” this work is a masterful combination of storytelling and choreography danced to the exquisite sounds of Mendelssohn. The ballet tells a story of love, illusion and adventures of two pairs of mortal lovers and the king and queen of the fairies. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was choreographed for New York City Ballet and premiered in 1962. The production includes a large cast complete with 25 students from Boston Ballet School and sets and costumes designed by Louisa Spinatelli. The last time A Midsummer Night’s Dream was danced by Boston Ballet it was called, “a winner, a gorgeous, spirited production given strong performances throughout the ranks, including the excellent orchestra led by Jonathan McPhee” by The Boston Globe.