Peerless in the realm of abstract ballet, George Balanchine was also a masterful storyteller. His version of The Nutcracker is widely familiar, a holiday tradition that’s inspired Nutcracker productions around the world. His finest narrative creation, however, is the two-act ballet he drew from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Balanchine knew the play intimately and could quote it at length. His Midsummer Night’s Dream—which returns to New York City Ballet repertory for one week this spring, beginning on May 27—honors the high and low humor of its befuddled lovers and decadent fairies. It also embodies profound undercurrents in the text.
