A Remarkably Inventive A Cappella Premiere

"These seamless changes in tone, Mr. Ching's fine sense of pacing and skill with ensemble writing, and Gary John La Rosa's lively direction resulted in an engaging evening."

"The excellent cast featured Jennifer Goode Cooper, a lustrous soprano...Heather Jenkins displayed a dizzyingly high soprano in the fairy lullaby; mezzo Kristin Vienneau brought sparkle to other fairy solo moments. Kyle Huey, whose background is music theater, was feisty and fun as Puck, holding the stage with authority. The other fairies were primarily used as dancers, capably choreographed by Mr. La Rosa."

Heidi Waleson – Wall Street Journal

A Midsummer Soars

"Playing off Ching's musical wit, director Gary John La Rosa and his design team have strewn the stage with storybook costumes and ornate wigs. The set, defined by a row of Greek columns, is a kitschy cliché top to bottom, glowing in the gorgeous quotation marks of John Horan's lights. The traditional profiles are edged with glitter rock flourishes and, taken together, make a perfect, whimsical counterpoint to Ching's winking, compulsively romantic score."

"A Midsummer Night's Dream, Opera A Cappella is an unprecedented collaboration between Playhouse on the Square and Opera Memphis. It seems, at times, like it's still a work in progress, but it's still one of the niftiest things I've seen on stage in Memphis since I started paying attention 25 years ago. If it's not a sweet anomaly, it's an evolutionary moment."

Chris Davis – Memphis Flyer