Opera North’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes audiences on a mind-bending musical trip at The Lowry

In a twisted web of magic and mischief, Benjamin Britten’s retelling of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is spellbinding.

In a revival of Martin Duncan’s original production, directed by Matthew Eberhardt, audiences are entranced in a hypnotic, operatic narrative; where a feuding Fairy King and Queen remain locked in a fierce dispute as four star-crossed lovers wrestle with their feelings for each other.

Despite a few pacing issues between set changes, the overall performance is mesmerising. Opera North’s Music Director, Garry Walker, conducts a cast including James Laing, Henry Waddington, and Daniel Abelson, reprising their roles as Oberon, Bottom, and Puck, alongside Daisy Brown’s portrayal of Tytania.

Far from the traditional vision of earthy forests and enchanted woodlands, this production embraces an altogether different form of surrealism. Here, trees are replaced with large, translucent panes of corrugated plastic, creating a series of shimmering layers for the characters to weave through. Above, clear giant balloons float like bubbling clouds, suspended in the sky.

Colour plays a pivotal role, as trippy and kaleidoscopic tones shift across the stage. Reflected on the plastic surfaces, lighting transforms each scene into a dreamlike metamorphosis. These creative choices from Johan Engels’ set project a futuristic, psychedelic quality, which pairs perfectly with the 1960s costume design from Ashley-Martin Davis – complementing Britten’s beguiling score while moving Shakespeare closer to the time of the opera’s mid-20th-century composition.

The fairy majesties, Oberon and Tytania, bewitch the auditorium in their glittering outfits of metallic mirror discs. As the spotlight glares down on them, light bounces back into the audience in an effect akin to being dazzled by the sun. This adds to the sense of mischief and triggers themes of confused distortion – just as the characters themselves are blinded by love.

From the offset, the musical score unsettles and captivates. The opening glissandi in the lower strings signal the start of a strange and wavy trip. Each character takes on its own different world of sound, and the result manifests itself in organised chaos.

For Oberon, Britten chooses the ethereal sound of a countertenor, an unnaturally high, fairy-like range (which is the rarest of all voice types), while Tytania’s supernatural soprano tone also floats along a high vocal line. The other fairies, played by children dressed in identical costumes and short bobs, sing in an eerie chorus punctuated by a menacing yet twinkling celesta.

Puck takes on a spoken role, accompanied by a peace-breaking percussion, often in snare or drum. In stark contrast, the music for the four lovers is soft and romantic. As tensions rise, their overlapping vocal lines echo the mayhem of their entangled emotions. 

While Shakespeare and the opera can sometimes feel notoriously difficult to understand, The Lowry and Opera North demonstrate a commendable commitment to the accessibility of both – even when combined together. Two screens placed on either side of the stage display helpful lyrics in real time, and a pre-performance talk offers a concise summary of the story, ensuring all members of the audience can fully immerse themselves in the experience.

Transfixing and otherworldly, Opera North’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a mind-bending, musical trip not to be missed.