Song by Song Synopsis

 

ACT 1

 

1. Stags    

A Stag-night. Theseus (Duke of Athens) is to marry Hippolyta. His friends (Men’s chorus) throw a party.

 

2. Hens                

A Hen-party (Women’s chorus), but Hippolyta is not sure that she wants to marry Theseus. 

 

The Stag and Hen parties meet (in a double-chorus) and in a momentary lapse of sobriety they all promise to put on a play for the wedding.

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Egeus tells Theseus that he wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius, but Hermia loves Lysander. Demetrius's ex-girlfriend Helena, still loves him but Demetirus is set on Hermia for his wife.

 

3. Auntie's House     

To escape Hermia having to marry Demetrius, Lysander and Hermia decide to run away and live with Lysander's Aunt, and they plan to meet in the wood the next night and do this.

 

4. A Miserable Song     

Hippolyta is miserable because she is not sure about the wedding. Helena is miserable because the man she loves, Demetrius, is in love with her friend Hermia.

 

Helena plans to tell Demetrius that Hermia and Lysander are running away together in the hope that Demetrius will come back to her.

 

5. Bottom's Song

The friends of the wedding couple (chorus) and soon-to-be wedding guests, now have to consider the play that they promised they would put on. 

 

Peter Quince, a would-be director, announces the wedding show is to be 'Pyramus and Thisby'. Bottom, self acclaimed action hero, explains why he should have the main part. (Bottom's 'patter' song and chorus).

 

They plan to meet in the wood the following night where they can rehearse undisturbed. The same wood, of course, where Hermia and Lysander are meeting, and where the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, are currently quarrelling.

 

6. How to catch a fairy

 In the wood, Puck, servant to the fairy king Oberon, is attempting to ensnare one of Titania’s fairies.

 

7. Titania's Story

Puck tells how his master Oberon has fallen out with his fairy queen Titania. Oberon claims that Titania is paying too much attention to a young man who should be his servant, whilst Titania claims that she is merely looking after the unfortunate youth who has lost his mother. 

 

Oberon tells Puck to fetch a magic flower, the juice of which, when poured on the eyes of someone when asleep, will make them fall in love with the first thing they see. He plots mischievous revenge on Titania.

 

8. An Insulting Song

Demetrius is in the wood looking for Hermia and Lysander. To his surprise Helena shows up and he tries to explain just how much he dislikes her.

 

Oberon, having overheard Demetrius’s rejection and insults, plans to help Helena. He summons Puck and tells him to use the magic flower on the young man in the forest (Demetrius) so that he will fall in love with the girl that is chasing him.

 

9. Titania's Lullaby   

Titania's fairies (women’s chorus) resort to whatever means are possible (i.e. beer and dancing) in order to send their Queen to sleep. Oberon sneaks in and uses the flower on Titania's eyes so that she falls in love with the first thing she sees.

 

10. Where is Auntie's House?

Lysander and Hermia are lost. Lysander suggests they ‘bed down together’ for the night but relents to Hermia's request that they should sleep apart until they are married.

 

Puck comes across the two lying apart and assumes that this is the young man his master told him to drug, which he does (using the flower on Lysander). Helena enters still in pursuit of Demetrius and stumbles across Lysander who wakes and immediately falls in love with her. She thinks he is joking and carries on after Demetrius, Lysander following after his new lover. Hermia wakes, realises she is alone she goes in search of Lysander.

 

11. A Rehearsal  

The players (chorus) arrive in the wood to rehearse their show. Puck, seeing the players, and in mischievous mood, turns Bottom into an Ass mid-rehearsal and the rest of the players run off terrified. Bottom, left alone, sings a song to calm his nerves, this wakes Titania who, under the spell, falls in love with him and takes him back to her bower.

 

Puck calls his master to tell him that Titania is in love with an Ass. Demetrius, tired and lost, lies down to dream of Hermia. Oberon realises that Puck has drugged the wrong man and sends him to fetch Helena whilst he drugs Demetrius and get the original plan back on track. Helena enters pursued by an infatuated Lysander, she stumbles into Demetrius who, drugged by Oberon, immediately confesses his love for her. 

 

12. False or True    

Lysander and Demetrius both loved Hermia, now they both say they love Helena. How is a woman to know when a man is telling the truth?  

 

The players arrive to find the couples quarrelling. As the plot and the music reach maximum tension Oberon realises that something is going to have to be done.  

ACT 2

 

1. Another Dream     

Hermia contemplates what went wrong in her relationship with Lysander.

 

Oberon tells Puck to bring the lovers together and lie them down to sleep, so that they can bring the couples together as they should be.

 

2. Foggy Foggy Night      

Puck brings Demetrius and Lysander together by changing his voice to sound like the two rivals and leading each one into his trap.

 

3. Another Miserable Song

Helena enters, still miserable, Puck makes sure she doesn’t get past the first bar of her song and lies her down next to Demetrius. He anoints Lysander's eyes so that he will be returned to Hermia. 

 

4. Lullaby for an Ass

Titania and Bottom are waited on by the fairies before they too fall asleep. Oberon tells Puck to return Bottom to his normal state. He anoints Titania's eyes and she wakes to see her fairy king.

 

5. Music ho! Music

Now reunited, Titania and Oberon call for music that will rock the sleeping lovers. The guests, on route to the wedding, wake the lovers, Theseus and Hippolyta arrive and all doubts about the wedding are gone. Egeus wants to know why his daughter is in the wood with Lysander and demands that she marry Demetrius. Demetrius however is now in love with Helena and Egeus is forced to give in. The three couples leave to be married that same day.

 

6. Bottom's Dream

Bottom awakes, thinks he has been dreaming and plans to turn his dream into a song. The players and Bottom are reunited, and they get ready for the wedding celebrations,

 

7. Sextet

The six newly-weds are happy, but for one thing…. bedtime is still three hours away.

 

Philostrate, the master of ceremonies, is called and a choice of entertainments is offered. They choose the play of 'Pyramus and Thisby'.

 

8. The Most Lamentable Tale of Pyramus and Thisby

 

Quince and the chorus introduce the show. Wall enters which separates the lovers, Pyramus peers through a hole in the wall to see Thisby, eventually she arrives and they plan to meet at night in the graveyard, they go. A ferocious Lion (tiger!) arrives and the Moon begins to shine. Thisby enters the graveyard and is scared off by the lion who gores her cloak and leaves it lying on the floor. Pyramus enters, sees the gored cloak and thinks she is dead. He kills himself. Thisby enters, sees that he is dead and kills herself. The end.

 

Bottom offers the couples the choice of a dance or a song, which he immediately begins to sing before being interrupted.

 

9. Music for the Dance.    

They choose the dance.

 

10. Finally     

The clock strikes twelve. Puck sweeps up the remnants of the day whilst the fairies bless the bridal rooms. He leaves the wedding party  and guests to sing one last miserable song.

 

END