Northern Ballet Theatre.

NORTHERN BALLET THEATRE SADLER'S WELLS LONDON, ENGLAND MARCH 28, 2004

There's not been so much fun on an overnight train since lack Lemmon and Tony Curtis met up with Marilyn Monroe and her female band in Some Like It Hot. However, in this scenario, the sleeper chugged off to Edinburgh and the night was filled with flamboyant and feisty fairies.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, artistic director and choreographer David Nixon cleverly weaves the Shakespearian gem into a story about a touring ballet company in which the conflicts over who loves whom are as convoluted as those in the fairy, kingdom. The result is a highly entertaining production that shows off the dancers' fine technical talents and slick, quick-timing comedy as they perform their dual roles amidst magnificent sets by Duncan Hayler.

The first act, art deco in style with black, white, and shining chrome, drew deserved applause when the mirrored walls and barres of the studio magically transformed into a gleaming train. Complete with steam and sound and red lamps glowing, it convincingly chugged off to Scotland with Puck tap dancing on fine roof. In Act 2, the dream begins. The train has shrunk to rocket size and is suspended overhead, while a large circular "eye" acts as a stairway to Titania's bower and Oberon's aerie. Two beds also hang suspended above the stage to lift and lower the lovers. The fairies are adorned in large-petaled tutus in English country-garden colors, and Titania, in her silver white bobbed wig, sports two huge "donkey-ear" wings, all designed by Nixon.

The curtain rises on a ballet studio where somewhat unruly rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet are just beginning. Robin Puck is the dance master, a Drosselmeyer-like figure who orchestrates the magic and mischief on the four principals (who fortunately bear the same names as their Shakespearean counterparts: Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia). Their infuriatingly fussy director, Theseus (Oberon in Act 2), has chosen that moment to announce that it is time for his own love, the prima ballerina Hippolyta (Titania), to leave the stage, thus laying the seeds for the "Dream" sequence's dispute. And then there's Nick Bottom, the company carpenter who also loves Hippolyta. The atmosphere is taut with personal dramas, and the action is skillfully crafted and fun. Nixon's dancers act well, and he uses their talents to the full. The three women demonstrate very different qualities: Desire Samaai makes a supple and graceful Titania; Keiko Amemori (Hermia) moves with polished fluidity; Pippa Moore steals the show as the spunky Helena, throwing herself at Demetrius (Christopher Hinton-Lewis), who bats off her acrobatic advances like a Wimbledon champion. Hironao Takahashi's Oberon sweeps through his fairy kingdom with leaps that hang above the mists, and Christian Broomhall's Puck is mysterious and fleet. But top of the list is Jonathan Ollivier--Lysander--who continually impresses. Tall and muscular, be gives 100 percent in style, presence, and partnering, always showing unforced, convincing characterization. It is no wonder that this company goes from strength to strength and is proving very popular with the British public.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

www.northernballeltheatre.co.uk