Cristofer Jean

This thrilling update of a classical Chinese drama into a modern ghost story explores the legacy of trauma, the heart of injustice and the lengths to which we go for love. Sentenced to death for a murder, a young woman swears vengeance before her execution, cursing her city from beyond the grave to a catastrophic drought. Three years later, a wealthy businesswoman visits the parched, locust-plagued city to take over an ailing factory. When her young daughter is tormented by a mysterious apparition, locals are forced to face a past that no one wants to remember.

Hermia loves Lysander, Demetrius loves Hermia, Helena loves Demetrius, Theseus and Hippolyta are almost newlyweds and the already-complex marriage of the immortal queen and king of Fairyland is further complicated when one of them falls for an amateur actor-turned-ass. Intrigued by the theory that Shakespeare wrote this play as a wedding gift, director Joseph Haj (who helmed 2015’s much-beloved Pericles) probes the pitfalls and pay-offs of relationships, be they budding or eternal. Seeking out the grace, beauty and delight embedded in the comedy, this joyful, music-laden production invites us to feel as well as laugh.