Ballet Jörgen, the touring company that brings The Nutcracker to Markham every year, returns to Flato Markham Theatre this Friday with a very different show: a new ballet version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The performance is on Friday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd. Tickets are sold through the Flato Markham Theatre box office.
Shakespeare in the northern woods
Shakespeare's comedy follows young lovers, a troupe of amateur actors and a quarrelling fairy king and queen whose plans collide in an enchanted forest over a single night, with the trickster Puck setting much of the mischief in motion.
Ballet Jörgen keeps the story but moves the forest north. The company describes the production as the classic comedy with a Canadian twist, set among Northern Canada's woodland and tundra landscapes and the creatures that live there. The dancing is set to Felix Mendelssohn's well-known score for the play.
A debut tour
The piece is on its debut tour, and this is its first appearance for Markham audiences. The company has often brought its modern takes on classical material to the Markham stage, the theatre noted in its January preview.
The production is billed as family-friendly and suitable for all ages, which makes it an accessible way to introduce children to both ballet and Shakespeare in one evening. The theatre follows it the next night with stand-up comedy.
Anyone planning to attend should leave extra time for parking and winter road conditions around Town Centre Boulevard on a Friday evening.
