According to Jack Yan who writes for Lucire, the Royal New Zealand Ballet's new production by Liam Scarlett is "jaw-droppingly magnificent" and "witty yet respectful." Respectful is always nice to hear.
Like previous choreographers, Scarlett chose to add incidental music from other Mendelssohn works to extend the length of the ballet.
Multiple reviewers have indicated that designer Tracy Grant Lord has outdone herself with the sets and costumes. Says Yan:
Set in a fairy dell in the wood, Lord’s imagination takes us into a world of cabanas and fungi, with electric blue shades offsetting the dark, night sky. It is the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s largest set, complete with bridges, multiple staircases, even a pole from which Puck slides down.
Take a look at these two shots by photographer Stephen A'Court which we found on Lucire:
Tonia Looker and Harry Skinner
Tonia Looker and MacLean Hopper
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a co-production with Li Cunxin's Queensland Ballet, where former ABT corps dancer/Tharp ITUR Bomber Extraordinaire Laura Hidalgo is now a principal dancer. Queensland Ballet hasn't announced its 2016 season yet; so we don't know if this new production by Scarlett will be seen there next year or the year after.
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