New sets and costumes breathe fresh life into the choreographer’s landmark 1997 ballet

When Christopher Wheeldon created A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1997 for Colorado Ballet, he was only 23 years old and the ballet was his first commission from a major ballet company. The event was so noteworthy that many publications, including the New York Times, sent critics to Denver to see it. The reviewers loved it — and for good reason.

Wheeldon had not yet established himself as one of the premier ballet choreographers in the world. But his gift for storytelling and theatrical magic were already evident in this dazzling full-length ballet. From the opening scene — set behind a scrim and introducing us to the main characters — to the stunning closing sequence, Wheeldon captures the comings and goings in both the human and fairy worlds with clarity and delight. Anyone who has read or seen a production of Shakespeare’s play knows how intricate the plot of the original is, but Wheeldon is able to convey the humor and drama that propels the story so clearly we are never confused about what is happening.

In a long lifetime of seeing ballet, it is easy for me to say that the finale – an exquisite pas de deux for Titania and Oberon – is among the most beautiful dance sequences I have ever seen. Robert Perdizola’s new sets and costumes are dazzling, and never more so than in that final scene. On a stage full of twinkling stars and a huge glowing moon, Titania and Oberon (Jessica Payne and Mario Labrador at last Saturday night’s performance) perform a gentle but passionate dance of love. When the scene and the ballet end with a huge shower of glitter falling on the couple, it is impossible not to feel an enormous rush of romance.

Photo: Colorado Ballet

From the minute the curtain goes up, thanks to Perdizola’s jewel box of a set, we are transported to a dreamlike world inhabited by both fairies and humans. The human story of love lost and found is full of humor, and Wheeldon creates hilarious, occasionally slapstick, sight gags that require great physical dexterity.

At the performance I saw, Alexandra Wilson as Helena and Sarah Tryon as Hermia were equally skilled at Wheeldon’s demanding physical and acting hijinks. Along with their lovers – Liam Hogan as Demetrius and Bryce Lee as Lysander – the foursome provided one athletic feat after another without losing the dramatic thrust of the relationships they were enacting.

As Titania and Oberon, Payne and Labrador were perfectly matched and the chemistry between them was palpable. In Wheeldon’s telling, the two roles are somewhat subservient to those of other characters, but he gives them both an elegant style that they embody with ease and grace.

From a purely theatrical and choreographic standpoint, it’s Wheeldon’s Puck who is the standout, and Kenny Allen is picture-perfect as he runs, jumps and flies around the stage, creating mischief wherever he goes. Allen has an inherent impish quality that radiates the joy and fun that motivates so much of the action.

Perdizola’s sets and costumes – created for this new production of the ballet – deserve a resounding ovation. Perdizola’s enormous enchanted forest – the setting for almost the entire ballet — looks and feels like the illustration from a child’s fairytale storybook. From the first moment the scrim goes up on the prologue, we know we are in a wondrous world of make-believe where fairies flit about and love is in the air.

The Colorado Ballet Orchestra, under the direction of Adam Flatt, plays Mendelssohn’s luminous score with finesse and the musical accompaniment is enhanced by the Colorado Children’s Chorale and vocal soloists Mackenzie Laun and Maggie Sczekan.