Watch San Jose Dance Theatre’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Today! Synopsis Act 1 Theseus, Duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, when he is stopped by Lovers in the land who are quarreling. Demetrius explains to Theseus that he is in love with Hermia and wants to marry her. Hermia pleads her case that she is in love with Lysander and would rather marry Lysander. Hermia’s childhood friend, Helena, loves Demetrius and also begs Theseus to allow her to marry Demetrius. However, both men (Lysander and Demetrius) only have eyes for Hermia. Theseus tells all the lovers to figure it out by the time he is to marry his love, Hippolyta. Hermia and Lysander sneak off to secretly get married. Helena sees them sneaking off and tells Demetrius. Helena and Demetrius follow Hermia and Lysander into the forrest. Meanwhile a band of traveling actors is rehearsing in the hopes of getting to perform at Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. In the land of the fairies, we meet Butterfly, Oberon who is King of the Fairies, his wife, Titania, who is the Queen of the Fairies, and the entourage of Fairies. Oberon and Titania are having their own marital squabble as Titania has returned from a trip with a magical harp that makes everyone dance when she plays it. Oberon is jealous of Titania’s new toy and wants to possess it. Titania will not share it with him and so Oberon vows to get even with her. Seeking revenge, Oberon sends his merry servant, Puck to acquire a magical flower, pierced by Cupid’s arrow. The juice of this flower can be spread over a sleeping person’s eyelids to make that person fall in love with the first thing he or she sees upon waking. Puck obtains the flower, and Oberon tells him of his plan to spread its juice on the sleeping Titania. Having seen Demetrius act cruelly toward Helena, Oberon orders Puck to spread some of the juice on the eyelids of Demetrius. Oberon hopes Demetrius will then awaken and fall in love with Helena, and all will be well with the humans. But of course, it isn’t that simple. Puck finds Lysander and Hermia resting from their long journey to try to secretly get married. Puck gets confused and puts the magical flower on the wrong man (Lysander). Helena awakens Lysander and he falls deeply in love with her, abandoning Hermia. Lysander pursues Helena, despite Helena’s reminders that he should stay with his love, Hermia. They wander off in the forrest. Hermia awakens. She is scared to not find Lysander where she left him. She is afraid to be alone in the forrest and fears something has happened to Lysander. She wanders off looking for Lysander. As the night progresses and Oberon commands Puck to undo his mistake, both Lysander and Demetrius end up in love with Helena, who believes that they are mocking her. Hermia becomes so jealous that she tries to challenge Helena, her childhood best friend, to a fight. Demetrius and Lysander also fight over Helena’s love. Oberon, still jealous that his wife, Titania, will not share her new toy, the powerful musical harp, uses the magical flower on her while she sleeps. When Titania awakens, the first creature she sees is Bottom, the most ridiculous of the Actors, whose head Puck has mockingly transformed into that of a Donkey’s head. Titania passes a ludicrous interlude doting over the Donkey. Eventually, Oberson frees Titania from the spell. Titania is horrified to find that she has been dancing with a Donkey. She is so happy to see her husband, Oberon. Titania then softens her heart and gives Oberon the toy he so desires, the Magical Harp. Act 2 Opens with the powerful dancing of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazon before their wedding. Much mayhem ensues as the 4 lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius are lost in the forrest and are fighting. Bottom, who is still transformed as a Donkey’s head is chasing his friends, the other Actors and is running around the forrest quite confused, too. As the night drags on, the human lovers eventually wear themselves out with all the fighting and fall asleep. Oberon blames Puck for messing things up and devises a plan to correct things for the humans. Eventually, Oberon and Puck do set everything right and by morning, all is well. Theseus and Hippolyta discover the sleeping lovers in the forest and take them back to Athens to be married; Demetrius now loves Helena, and Lysander now loves Hermia. Bottom is freed from his Donkey head and is happy to be fully human again. We go onto celebrate a triple wedding! After the wedding entertainment, we return to the forest, where we see our reconciled King and Queen of the Fairies. Puck, who brought us into this forest scene, closes out the ballet, as he does the play: “If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended. That you have but slumber’d here/While these visions did appear… So, good night unto you all… Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin (Puck) shall restore amends.