An enchanting production and a feast for the senses, mind and brain
Between dusk and dawn, Elf King Oberon’s kingdom turns into a playground for love. With a drop of magic juice, Oberon influences the love life of his subjects and wife Tytania. Infatuation, infidelity, ecstasy, sadness and reconciliation fill the night.

Benjamin Britten wrote the magical opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream, after Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. They expose our deepest desires and fears. Britten’s low-key style mastery ultimately allows for an unheard of splurge in the woods. Director Ola Mafaalani discovers the sensuality in this score and pulls all the stops.

The theater of Mafaalani is a feast for the five senses. Not only eyes and ears, but also feeling, smell and taste are treated. According to Mafalaani, also called the empress of theatrical fantasy, opera has the language to depict all sensory experiences. “The children’s choir doesn’t just come up and sing, but bake and cook while singing. When you see those children at work, you experience that full unconditional love for everything around you again. It is my need to let A Midsummer Night’s Dream be your own love affair.”

Ola Mafaalani, who is making her operatic debut with Opera Zuid with this work, sees in this opera the testimony of how cruel we are in the name of love. “We can make our partner’s life hell and still say ‘I love you’. But these words carry an obligation. That applies to all your relationships.”

Together with a top cast of mainly Dutch and British soloists, special guest chef Andre Amaro and aerial artist Dreya Weber (of P!nk fame), Mafaalani and acclaimed conductor Karel Deseure will embark on a sultry midsummer night, with the aim of enchanting the audience.

With a fascinating introduction by opera expert Len van Schaik

Jan Wouters Oberon, Kristina Bitenc Titania, Dreya Weber Puck, Quirijn de Lang Theseus, Eva Kroon Hippolyta, Ted Black Lysander, Ed Ballard Demetrius, Leonie van Rheden Hermia, Liesbeth Devos Helena, Marc Pantus Bottom, Christopher Gillett Flute, Bart Driessen Quince, Andrew Greenan Snug, Mitch Raemaekers Snout, Galen Dole Starveling, Mona Beyersdorf Cobweb, Margarita Dudčaka Peaseblossom, Maria Kazaka Mustardseed, Jeske de Haart Moth, Limburgse Koorschool Fairies, André Amaro Chefkok

Ola Mafaalani Directed by
Karel Deseure Musical direction
André Joosten Set design
Floriaan Ganzevoort Lighting design
Willem Bruls Dramaturgy
Regine Standfuss Costume Design
South Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

PERFORMED IN ENGLISH WITH DUTCH AND ENGLISH SURTITLES.

Source: Theater aan het Vrijthof website