{"id":12590,"date":"2024-11-22T19:05:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T18:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=12590"},"modified":"2024-11-22T20:23:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T19:23:54","slug":"opera-north-a-midsummer-nights-dream-written-by-benjamin-britten-the-lowry-13th-of-november-2024-reviewed-by-paul-knowles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=12590","title":{"rendered":"A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream | The Lowry, Salford | Reviewed by Paul Knowles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Opera North\u2019s spellbinding production of <i>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/i> captures the ethereal beauty of Britten\u2019s music whilst putting the fun back into Shakespeare.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Midsummers-Pic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"297\" \/><img \/><\/p>\n<p><b><i>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream <\/i>(<\/b><b>Benjamin Britten) | The Lowry, Salfrod<\/b><b>\u00a0| 13<sup>th<\/sup> of November 2024<br \/>Reviewed by Paul Knowles<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The moment the ethereal humming of the synth starts to reverberate around the Lowry theatre, I become hypnotically lulled. It\u2019s as if I\u2019m sharing the same mesmerisation that the characters experience under the influence of the love potion. The semi-translucent plastic screens (that make up the production\u2019s staging of the Athenian forest) ascend into the ceiling. I am in store for a truly wonderful night as I watch this majestic, chaotic and devastatingly beautiful production of Opera North\u2019s sixties\u2019 version of <i>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The opera begins with the fairy\u2019s enchanting lullaby, performed by a chorus of child actors, metamorphosing into a nightmarish, folkish version of ring-a-ring-a-roses. Subsequently, an animalistic Puck in tiny, fluorescent red shorts (played with raw magnetism, by Daniel Abelson) pounces onto the stage to present the action of the opera. We are then introduced to Oberon, the Fairy King, and Tytania, the Queen, both garbed in Bowie spaceman outfits. The couple are fighting over the custody of an orphaned boy who was born to Tytania\u2019s handmaiden. Afterwards, we witness the four lovers\u2019 (Helena, Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius) flight into the Athenian woods. This opening twenty-minute salvo is a wonderful introduction to the show\u2019s two adversary themes \u2014 what does true love consist of versus the hypocrisy of desiring someone only due to their looks, status, or money\u2014 that form the centrifugal core at the heart of Britten\u2019s opera.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The constant clashing of these antithetical themes is reflected in both the characters\u2019 actions and the opera music\u2019s transformation from low and melodic to chaotically high-pitched and back again within a single act. Furthermore, these thematic adversaries are mirrored in the range of operatic voices on display. From the restrained, controlled, and regal Oberon (which is the perfect vehicle for the talented James Lang\u2019s superb vocal control) contrasting with the delightfully comical Bottom (played with real gusto by Henry Waddington) whose vocals are full of bravado and unintentional comedy. These conflicts and harmonisations are effectively reflected in the forest scene, where the four sweethearts, under the influence of Puck\u2019s mischievous application of the love potion go from lovers to rivals to lovers again. Hermia (Si\u00e2n Griffiths) displays wonderfully,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>the confusion of feeling deserted by Lysander in the middle of the forest with her vocal performance full of agonising self-doubt as she worries at the harm that could have befallen him. Helena (Camilla Harris) is the ideal foil for Hermia, her more realistic and world-weary performance highlighting how Hermia has never been anything but the object of Lysander and Demetrius\u2019 affection, whilst Helena has still been in Hermia\u2019s shadow. James Newby, gives a bold vocal performance that captures the haughty and self-entitled Demetrius, conveying how self-pompous Demetrius is, in his belief that his money gives him the right to Hermia\u2019s hand in marriage. Lysander is played with wonderful honesty by Peter Kirk, his vocal performance capturing Lysander\u2019s growing confidence that he will be the best suitor for Hermia. All four singers work in perfect harmony to evoke the passion, confusion and self-doubt that falling in love entails.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Undoubtedly, the Mechanicals add much comedy and bathos to the Opera as they aspire to better themselves by performing at Thesus and Hippolyta\u2019s upcoming nuptials. They work wonderfully together to form a fantastic comic ensemble. A special mention needs to be given to Dean Robinson who captures the frustrations of an aspiring director to a tee. In addition, Nicholas Watts adds much needed gravitas to Thisbe\u2019s death, cutting through the slapstick comedy behind the tour-de-force that is the Mechanical\u2019s performance of Pyramus and Thisbe. Conductor (Garry Walker) showcases a masterclass of control as he expresses the passion, disorder, and beauty of Britten\u2019s music. The Director (Martin Duncan) should be applauded for giving licence to his singers to perform the comic scenes of <i>Midsummers<\/i> with such verve and energy. Duncan\u2019s version of Britten\u2019s opera encapsulates the folk and comic elements of <i>Midsummers <\/i>that has kept the play and opera a firm favourite of the young and old alike. Opera North\u2019s sixties\u2019 version of <i>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream <\/i>is a must see! A brave and innovative production that captures the ethereal beauty of Britten\u2019s music whilst also putting the fun back into Shakespeare.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>To conclude, these shadows have not offended but thrilled, delighted and dazzled me over the Opera\u2019s three-hour running time. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Reviewed by Paul Knowles<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opera North\u2019s spellbinding production of A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream captures the ethereal beauty of Britten\u2019s music whilst putting the fun back into Shakespeare.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream (Benjamin Britten) | The Lowry, Salfrod\u00a0| 13th of November 2024Reviewed by Paul Knowles The moment the ethereal humming of the synth starts to reverberate around the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[283,17],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.2.1 - 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