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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Benjamin Britten
New Production
We thank Sano - Diti and Alex Landesberg |
Ido Ricklin returns to the Israeli Opera to direct Britten’s haunting score of Shakespeare’s comedy. Four lovers are lost in a night of agony and ecstasy at the center of which the queen of the fairies falls in love with an.. .ass.
Libretto: Benjamin Britten Piter Pears, after the play of Shakespeare
| Conductor | Daniel Cohen | 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 8.1, 9.1, 11.1, 12.1, 13.1 |
| Conductor | Ethan Schmeisser | 14.1, 17.1 |
| Director | Ido Ricklin | |
| Set Designer | Alexander Lisyanski | |
| Costume Designer | Oren Dar | |
| Choreographer | Yoram Karmi | |
| Lighting Designer | Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi) | |
| Video Designer | Nimrod Zin |
Soloists:
Anat Czarny
| Oberon | Yaniv D’Or | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 12.1, 14.1 |
| Alon Harari | 5.1, 9.1, 11.1, 13.1, 17.1 | |
| Tytania | Hila Baggio | |
| Hermia | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 | |
| Anna Huntley | 5.1, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1, 17.1 | |
| Helena | Yael Levita | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 |
| Moran Aboullof | 5.1, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1, 17.1 | |
| Lysander | Jason Bridges | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 |
| Rupert Charlesworth | 5.1, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1, 17.1 | |
| Demetrius | Ross Ramgobin | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 |
| Oded Reich | 5.1, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1, 17.1 | |
| Puck | Yossi Zabari | |
| Bottom | Joshua Bloom | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 |
| Jonathan Lemalu | 5.1, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1, 17.1 | |
| Quince | Graeme Danby | 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 |
| George Mosley | 5.1, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1, 17.1 | |
| Snug | Vladimir Brown | |
| Starveling | Yair Polishook | |
| Snout | Alasdair Elliot | |
| Flute | Eitan Drori | |
| Theseus | Noah Briger | |
| Hippolyta | Idit Zamir | |
| Cobweb | Tal Ganor | |
| Moth | Nofar Yacobi | |
| Peaseblossom | Daniela Skorka | |
| Mustardseed | Avigail Gurtlet Har-Tuv |
Moran Children Choir
The Opera Orchestra - The Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion
Sung in English.
English and Hebrew Surtitles
Translation: Dori Parnes
Duration: Aprox three hours including one intermission
The woods by Athens. Evening
The fairies assemble. Puck, a devilish sprite, announces the arrival of the fairies King and Queen, Oberon and Tytania. The royal couple enters, quarrelling. Oberon demands to have an Indian boy, of the Queen's entourage. Tytania, who dotes on the changeling boy, refuses, although their rift might lead to a catastrophe. Tytania leaves and Oberon swears a revenge. Oberon sends Puck to bring him a magical flower. When this flower's nectar is dripped upon the eye of a sleeping person, that person will fall in love with the first creature he (or she) see when they wake up. Thus will Oberon make Tytania fall in love with some repulsive creature and humiliate her.
Hermia and Lysander, two Athenian lovers, meet in the woods. Hermia's father wants to force her into marriage with another man, Demetrius. The lovers decide to flee from the city, and get married. Helena, Hermia's friend, betrays the secret plan to Demetrius. the bridegroom-to-be. Demetrius arrives at the woods, chasing the runaways. Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, follows him. Demetrius shuns her away. Puck returns with the magical flower. Oberon sends him on another errand - to find Demetrius, and charm him with the love nectar, so that he falls in love with Helena.
A group of "rustics" meet in the woods, preparing an amateur theatre show. The director, Peter Quince, announces the casting. Francis Flute gets to play the leading lady part, to his great dismay. Nick Bottom is cast as the Lover, but covets all the other parts in the play as well. After some efforts and quarrels, the casting is done, and a first rehearsal in set for later that night.
The runaway couple, Lysander and Hermia, are lost in the woods. They fall asleep side by side. Puck mistakes Lysander to be the man he was sent to charm. He drips the love nectar into Lysander's eye. Helena arrives accidentally. Lysander wakes up, and when seeing Helena, he instantly falls in love with her. She runs away and he follows. Hermia wakes up from a nightmare, and finds herself deserted. In another spot in the woods, the fairies sing a lullaby to Tytania. When they leave her, Oberon sneaks on the sleeping Queen and drips the love-nectar into her eyes.
The woods, night
The six rustics come to rehearse their play - a tragic tale of two lovers. They struggle with theatrical problems. How will they place, on stage, the wall that separates the two lovers? How will they light them with moonshine? Will the ladies in the audience not fear the character of the Lion? Puck bewitches Nick Bottom, placing a donkey's head on his neck. The company members flee, aghast. Tytania, who was sleeping nearby, wakes up. As she sees the man with the donkey's head, she is filled with passionate love. She summons her fairies, and orders them to attend on her lover. Lustfully, she carries Bottom into her bed, and they sleep together.
The abandoned Hermia finds Demetrius. She accuses him of murdering Lysander. Demetrius falls asleep, forlorn. Having realized Puck's mistake, Oberon tries to correct it, and drips the love nectar into Demetrius' eyes. Lysander and Helena arrive. Helena thinks that the lovesick Lysander is only mocking her. As Demetrius wakes up he also falls for Helena. Hermia arrives, finding new and astonishing circumstances - so far, both men were in love with her. Now they both despise her, competing for Helena's heart. The men fight, the women bicker, until all four of them fall asleep, exhausted. Puck, promising a happy end, drips the last drops of the love nectar into Lysander's eyes.
Scene i
The woods, before dawn
Tytania sleeps in Bottom's arms. Oberon removes the spell and wakes her up. She is horrified by the strange creature she has slept with, and re-unites with Oberon. Puck removes the donkey head from Bottom's neck. The fairy court disappears with the break of dawn.
The lovers wake up. Lysander sees Hermia again, and falls in love with her again. The two pairs are happy to find each other, and the night events seem to them as a distant dream. They decide to return to Athens and beg the Duke to let them marry each other, according to their own wishes.
Nick Bottom wakes up, astonished by the dream he had. His fellow rustics return to the woods, lamenting for their lost friend, and for the play they intended to perform at the Duke's wedding day. They are delighted to find Bottom there, and hasten to town, to prepare for the show.
The Duke's palace, evening
Duke Theseus prepares for his wedding with Hyppolita, Queen of the Amazons. The lovers arrive, begging for his pardon and blessing. He invites them to watch a play with him and his bride.
The company of rustics, directed by the nervous Peter Quince, perform "The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe". The tragedy turns into an outrageous comedy, with scene-stealing performances of the "wall", "moonshine" and a very timid "Lion". A hilarious death scene of the star-crossed lovers concludes the play. The members of the audience join the actors in a merry dance. Oberon, Tytania, Puck and the fairies arrive at bedtime to bless all the couples with everlasting love, and happy years of marriage.
Back Stage Secrets at the Opera
Many Opportunities to Widen your Opera Experience
Do you want to know more about the opera you are about to attend? Do you want to find out some back stage secrets? Do you want to meet the artists after the performance? The Israeli Opera enables you to widen your opera experience with a variety of pre performance and post-performance events.
Towards Opening
On Saturday morning before the premiere, the creators of the production and several of the soloists gather to discuss the opera, the production, their own career and today’s opera world. This is a unique opportunity to learn as much as possible about the production and meet the director, conductor, designers and some of the participating soloists. Musical excerpts from the opera illustrate the discussion. Towards Opening takes place before some of each season’s productions.
Pre Performance Lecture
One hour before each opera performance there is a 30-minute introductory lecture in the auditorium (in Hebrew). Opera staffers present the opera and the production and enable the audience to get some extra information a short time before attending the performances. Admission is free for ticket holders.
Pre Performance Back Stage Tours
What happens backstage before the audience even thinks of getting dressed for the performance? What do the singers do? The conductor? The Technical teams? How does everyone prepare for the performance? A unique opportunity to taste a little bit of the back stage excitement before the curtain ascends/ A concerted half hour tour in places that are not usually open to the general public. Tours begin 90 minute before the performance begins and last 30 minutes. Tickets are 25NIS and can be booked in advance (tickets for each tour are limited). Tours take place on several evenings in each production. Details can be found at the Israeli opera’s website. Tours from groups both in Hebrew and in English can be booked in advance ( sarah@tapac.org.il )
Opera Talkback
The curtain has just descended on the final scene of the opera. The hour is late. Nut the experience was riveting. This is the time to meet several of the performers. Come to listen and to speak. Ask questions. Meet the artists. A once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the artists who have just excited you on the stage. Opera Talkbacks takes place on the second level of the Opera House foyer and last around 30 minutes. Admission free. Opera Talkback takes place on several evenings in each production. Details can be found at the Israeli opera’s website.
| Date | Hour | ||
| Towards Opening | 30 Dec, 2017 | 11:00 | |
| PREMIÈRE | 4 Jan 2018 | 20:00 | |
| Back Stage Tours |
8, 9, 11, 13 Jan 2018 |
18:30 18:30 |
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| Opera Talkback | 6, 8, 11, 13 Jan 2018 | After the show |
