John, Paul, George, Ringo and Willie ... Shakespeare

By: Tom Netherland/Special to Bristol Herald Courier | TriCities.com
Published: March 27, 2008

William Shakespeare did not invent romantic comedy, but he sure perfected it.

Four hundred years and counting, and Shakespeare can still draw a crowd.

Cool, you may say.

Indeed, say the folks at Highlands Ballet. Their interpretation of the Bard’s 16th century “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes to the stage of the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol Tennessee on March 29-30.

Two shows. Dozens of dancers. Love and laughs out loud – and there’s a twist.

“We have a contemporary portion in the second half,” said Deanna Cole-Roberts, artistic director of Highlands Ballet.

Come again?

“We’re not doing just ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ ” she said. “Sean Hilton came in last Monday [from Chicago] and put together the Beatles’ music and choreographed a piece.”

How cool. John, Paul, George, Ringo and … Willie Shakespeare.

As for the program’s first half, set to the music of Mendelssohn, the Abingdon-based dance company will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” basically as written from a particular point of beginning.

“It’s not going to start in the courts,” Cole-Roberts said. “It will pick up in the forest with Oberon and Puck playing all sorts of mischievousness.”

Sean Hilton plays Oberon, king of the fairies. Deirdre Cole fills the part of Titania, Oberon’s queen. Lebanon’s Olivia Henley assumes the role of Puck – and does a fine job of tackling perhaps the funniest character.

“Oh, I think it’s very amusing,” Cole-Roberts said. “I must say that Olivia Henley is perfect. She is small and tiny, and she looks perfect.”

Wait a second. Back up. Ballet … funny?

No doubt Shakespeare could reach in and tickle the funny bone, but ballet and humor at first glance do not appear to mix.

“ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ lends itself to humor,” Cole-Roberts said. “A ballet like ‘Swan Lake’ does not. It’s a tragedy. ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is not a comedy. A lot of ballets are not comedy, but this one is.”

The cast rose to meet the challenge of humor and also another, perhaps less obvious though more significant, challenge. Try staging a dream sequence and selling that successfully to a live audience. Film has the luxury of computerized special effects. Stage does not.

Challenging? You bet.

“It is difficult to portray a dream sequence, to light a scene and bring the audience in on the fact that it is a dream,” Cole-Roberts said. “It’s a bit of a challenge because of the dramatization of the story. If you like a challenge, then it’s fun. This is fun.”

The first half will cover about 45 minutes. Then, there’s an intermission. Hop up, limber up and then perhaps get ready to stand up and shout for the second half.

Yes, it’s the Beatles. Well, not exactly the Beatles, of course, but ballet choreographed with the music of the Fab Four. Sort of “Help” matched with high jumps.

“The second half is definitely going to be something that the majority of the people in the audience will relate to,” Cole-Roberts said.

End result?

“The turns, the leaps, the moves,” Cole-Roberts said. “These dancers can really dance.”

IF YOU GO

What: Highlands Ballet presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

When: March 29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 2:30 p.m.

Where: Paramount Center for the Arts, 518 State St., Bristol Tennessee

Tickets: $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $6 for children under age 12

Info: (423) 274-8920

READ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S “A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM”:

www.shakespear-online.com/plays/midsscenes.html

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.

John, Paul, George, Ringo and Willie ... Shakespeare

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