New Production! Venture into Shakespeare's poetic world of elves and fairies, as envisioned by choreographer George Balanchine. Entering the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire for the first time, this magical piece, danced to the stage music by Mendelssohn, features sets and costumes by fashion legend Christian Lacroix.
"If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here. While these visions did appear." - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Scene 7
Faithful to the Bard’s vocabulary whilst adding a subtle touch of pantomime, Balanchine portrays a complex love story in two acts and six scenes. Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, become caught up in a domestic quarrel between the king of the elves and the queen of the fairies which results in the intervention of the mischievous Puck and his magic potion along with a troupe of amateur actors. The denouement is celebrated in the form of a grand virtuoso entertainment.
