The Dream
Frederick Ashton’s delightful interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a classic of The Royal Ballet.
Photos
When to see it
Part of a mixed Programme, These works are performed together
The Dream / New Marriott / The Concert
A world premiere and two comic masterpieces make this a delightful evening of exuberant humour and flights of fancy.
Booking for 31 May 2014 - 13 June 2014 opens
- Booking opens 8 April 2014 at 10.00am for General Public.
- Booking opens 18 March 2014 at 10.00am for Friends of Covent Garden.
- Booking opens 28 February 2014 at 10.00am for Supporting Friends.
- Booking opens 26 February 2014 at 10.00am for Premium 1 Friends.
- Booking opens 25 February 2014 at 10.00am for Premium 2 Friends.
Introduction
A disagreement between Oberon, King of the Fairies, and his Queen, Titania, escalates, resulting in comic misunderstandings and the collision of human and supernatural worlds.
Background
Frederick Ashton’s The Dream is based on William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The ballet had its premiere in 1964 as part of a Royal Ballet programme commemorating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. It was performed alongside Kenneth MacMillan’s Images of Love and Robert Helpmann’s Hamlet – both also based on works by Shakespeare. The roles of Oberon and Titania were created for Anthony Dowell and Antoinette Sibley, marking the beginning of their enduring and celebrated dance partnership.
Ashton captures all the comic confusion of Shakespeare’s play in inventive choreography. The high-spirited misadventures of the two pairs of mortal lovers combine with the humorous cavorting of Bottom, who dances en pointe after being transformed into an ass. The ballet culminates in a powerful pas de deux for Oberon and Titania, which moves through a stormy conflict of wills to a harmonious union. Felix Mendelssohn’s incidental music for the play, including the well-known Overture, Scherzo, Nocturne and Wedding March, provides a perfect partner to Ashton’s choreography.
Credits
| Choreography | Frederick Ashton |
| Composer | Felix Mendelssohn |
| Set Designer | David Walker |
| Costume Designer | David Walker |
| Lighting Designer | John B Read |
| Staging | Christopher Carr |
| Staging | Anthony Dowell |
Related links
- en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
- www.theballetbag.com The Ballet Bag: Frederick Ashton
- www.roh.org.uk A guide to Frederick Ashton
