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PicksInSix Review: Midsummer Night's Dream - The Joffrey Ballet

 
 

WHAT A WEIRD AND REMARKABLE DREAM
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

Sometimes, a once clear line between dream and reality will blur. A fantastic and boundless dreamscape may blend into everyday surroundings causing tired eyes confusion as they awake and search for clarity in the recognizable. This uncertainty might conjure up an unease followed by an urge to ascribe meaning to the dream and the desire to still be in it. How chaotic and beautiful. Then, an alarm goes off. Time to start another day.

This is perhaps the best way to describe the immersive experience of The Joffrey Ballet’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” staged at the Lyric Opera House through May 5, 2024. The Joffrey Ballet first premiered “Midsummer Night’s Dream” by internationally renowned Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman in 2018. Now, the talented company closes its 2023-2024 season with its masterful return and by daring Chicago audiences to get real weird with it.

The first of two acts begins with a Dreamer (Dylan Gutierrez) in his bed seemingly dreaming before he awakens and joins a Hostess (Victoria Jaiani) for the Midsummer festivities. The curtains open to a visually stunning piece where the company dances amidst hay tossing up pieces in joyous synchronicity. The first act continues to weave through the summer solstice with rhythmic choreography around the maypole and a striking piece at a long communal dining table. The original lighting design by Linus Fellbom and recreated by Chris Maravich enchantingly transitions scenes from day to night before helping the audience later sink into the surreal in act two.

Ekman’s choreography blends classical and contemporary ballet. There’s freedom, fluidity and sheer fun that fills the stage throughout the production. The company connects seamlessly with each other, the set (Ekman) and the audience despite the massive size of the stage. They reflect dream-like scenarios through slow and precise movements and sprawl throughout the theater as both actual persons and shadowy figures on the walls. It is truly a vision.

The second act starts much like the first but quickly spirals into the large-scale absurdity of a wild dream. With widened eyes, audience members watch fleeting scenes of Headless men (Edson Barbosa and Davide Oldano) contorting on stage, floating tables, fish and bodies. The frenzy is magical to witness. Yet, one of the most impressive pieces in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” springs from a rare moment of tranquility amidst the dreamscape chaos. Adorned in sleepwear button downs, the women command an intoxicating beat and traverse the stage with stirring power and grace toward the end of the second act.

From start to finish, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a vivid celebration of love, dance, theatrics and wit. It blurs the lines between dream and reality and in doing so showcases the brilliance of leaning into imagination and sheer creativity. A must see.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.

PHOTO|Cheryl Mann

The Joffrey Ballet
presents
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Lyric Opera House
through May 5, 2024


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