Philadelphia Ballet wraps up its season with beautiful ballets from Ashton and Balanchine

Philadelphia Ballet closed its season Thursday night at the Academy of Music with a comedy and a tragedy, both stories told for generations.

The company has performed George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the past, but artistic director Angel Corella preferred Frederick Ashton’s take on Shakespeare’s tale. The Dream, a one-act version, is set to the classic score by Mendelssohn, and is a beautiful ballet in a forest setting, lit just enough to see details.

Corella paired it with Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, one of his early and most-celebrated masterpieces. Adapted from the biblical story, it is set to music by Prokofiev against sets by French painter Georges Rouault.

The Dream, which Ashton created in 1964, opens with Oberon (danced by Jack Thomas) and Titania (Oksana Maslova) arguing over a child that each one wants in their entourage. (That role is called the Changeling Indian Child in the program notes. Corella already changed it from “Boy” to “Child” and should have dropped “Indian,” the Orientalist reference that is not even reflected in the dance.)

To get Titania back, Oberon asks Puck to put a spell on her. He will use a magical flower to make her fall in love with the first person she sees. But of course, this backfires, and Puck’s spell works overtime, confusing between them and two other pairs of lovers and making Titania fall in love with Bottom, who is turned into a donkey.

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There is so much to like about The Dream: the beautiful, green setting and costumes, the lush dancing of the fairy corps and four soloists, the choir singing offstage, and the comedy of errors.

Principal dancer Ashton Roxander was airborne a good amount of time as Puck, performing impressive leaps and touching the ground only to dance multiple pirouettes and create merriment and havoc. (His brother, Jake, performed the same role with American Ballet Theatre in the fall, and the New York Times called out the role for launching his stardom.)

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The dancing was generally strong and beautiful, and even with heavy costumes and scenery, the footwork could not be denied. Both Maslova and Sydney Dolan (who danced the role of Hermia) have gorgeous arched feet that shine through the spectacle.

The Dream is also the rare ballet that has a man in pointe shoes, in this case Jack Sprance, as Bottom. I would have liked to see him without the donkey head and trappings so I could focus more on his pointework.

Just like Roxander, Zecheng Liang, the protagonist of The Prodigal Son, spent much time soaring across the stage Thursday night. But he also dug deep into the emotions of the character of a young man eager to see the world, who was deceived, robbed, stripped down, and left broken as he crawled on his knees back home.

Dayesi Torriente was excellent as the Siren, the sexy, strutting seductress, although her movements were slightly less sharp than some others who have danced the role.

The neoclassical work seems as fresh as ever; Balanchine choreographed it in 1929.

With that, the curtain comes down on Philadelphia Ballet’s 2023-24 season, which had strong dancing and an interesting mix of works. Next up: a break and then the 60th anniversary season.

Philadelphia Ballet’s “The Dream” and “Prodigal Son” through Sunday. Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. Tickets start at $25. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org