A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A garden of delight for all ages, PNB’s production of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—Shakespeare’s comic tale of romantic confusion—charms all who wander into its enchanted realm. Set deep in a lush Northwest-inspired forest, the ballet follows the quarrels of the King and Queen of the Fairies and mayhem of mismatched lovers, abetted by mischief-maker Puck. All is resolved by Act II, which opens with Mendelssohn’s familiar Wedding March. The ballet is crowned by the magnificent Divertissement pas de deux, which endures as one of Balanchine’s most beautiful creations.