The Dream; A Month in the Country ****
Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Hippodrome, 20th February 2016
“Sing and dance it trippingly,” Oberon commands his fairies at the end of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sir Frederick Ashton’s choreography for The Dream follows Oberon’s requirements precisely: light and nimble movement, with ample “fairy grace”. Launching Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Shakespeare season, marking the 400th anniversary of the death of its local playwright, The Dream is paired with another perfect Ashton distillation of a classic play – A Month in the Country, based on Ivan Turgenev’s poignant slice of Russian middle class life. They make a charming pairing.
William Bracewell (Oberon) and Natasha Oughtred (Titania), The Dream
© Roy Smiljanic (2012)
Read the full review on Bachtrack.