Paula Citron raves over R&J!



Jason Reilly danced and silent acted wunderbar to John Coulbourn…not so for much of the supporting cast.



* This is a surprising comment given the other gushing reviews about the performance of the dancers. I have been disappointed by every R&J I’ve seen at the Stratford Festival and have always found the ballet a much more satisfying experience.

I think Coulbourn's response probably reflects the choreographic and set shortcomings of this production. My guess is that the company, in part, has stuck with this production because it's one that works for a smaller company. However, the combination of a large stage, a relatively small cast and poorly conceived sets makes it hard for even the best dancers to create a vivid, bustling world.

As to the question about images of the Erik Bruhn Competition - to my knowledge the only images available are the ones you can see on the page for the competition at the NBoC website. One is of the winners, and a couple are of the Canadian dancers. My impression is that they didn't have anyone photographing the actual competition other than a few quick shots of the award presentation ceremony.

Ah, I see. Thanks, Kate!

Kate

John Coulbourn is entitled to his opinion for what it is worth. I value it least of all the Toronto newspaper critics. I cannot concur with Kate’s argument that Coulbourn’s opinion about the quality of the silent acting was affected by the choreography and inferior set, as this conflicts directly with his opinion that the choreography and set were both of high quality.



Everybody in the audience is going to be influenced differently by a performance based on their own life experience, prejudices, feelings, etc. etc. I don’t believe one poor review is going to stop someone from purchasing a ticket for a performance unless ALL the reviews are negative and then one has to assume that ticket buyers actually go to the trouble of reading all the reviews.

I stand by my review found in full on page 2 of this topic:



I also stand by the above statement that the National Ballet of Canada will dance John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet for eternity. It defines who they are and they will keep it.

Michael Crabb chimes in on R&J with a glowing review!



Something tells me Crabb’s pre-ballet dinner was of much higher quality than where John Coulbourn ate, who is employed by a fast food newspaper!

Here is an interesting review of last night’s performance of R&J by a fan. This is a must read just to see a photo of Piotr Stanczyk, who danced with supreme confidence and in my opinion stole the show!

My bad...I didn't read the full review.

I still think the costumes and lighting leave a lot to be desired. Generally Jurgen Rose's designs don't need improving upon.

But I do agree with that there is almost no chance of NBoC changing productions. Besides their very personal connection to Cranko's version, they don't have much competition. By that, I mean that the vast majority of audience members are unlikely to have seen another version of "Romeo and Juliet", so wouldn't have anything to compare Cranko against. As I've said, I have nothing against Cranko (Onegin is one of my favorite ballets), but having seen MacMillan's version and Neumeier's as well (albeit only in rehearsal), Cranko doesn't move me the way the other two do.

Kate

Clement Crisp reviews the recent mixed fare.



The CBC talks to Jason Reilly.

My Muse finally inspired me enough to post my reflections on the R&Js I attended this past Thursday and Friday Evening.

It’s official, the National Ballet of Canada is in a recession! Rex Harrington was left to his lonesome for BOTH Ballet Talks I attended-Not that his ego couldn’t handle it. Rex reminisced about dancing with many ballerinas who have bourréed their way into the history books: Carla Fracci, Evelyn Hart, Veronica Tenant, and of course, Karen Kain. Usually they have a host like Michael Crabb to ask questions or spark new conversation. I just didn’t think it fair to leave him up there all alone. He experienced a case of dry throat and lost his train of thought a few times. BTW: There were no Ballet Notes programs available. More evidence the current bank and government manufactured economic crisis has hit the National. Note: A lot of companies will go bankrupt as a result creating dangerous monopolies as the competition is wiped out.

FYI for Rex: John Cranko did not pass away in a plane crash; he passed away while asleep on a flight from Philadelphia to Stuttgart. He had taken a sleeping sedative (chloral hydrate) and choked on his own vomit. At the time, many newspapers falsely assumed he had taken his own life because of previous battles with depression and alcohol. There have also been reports Cranko perished in a plane crash. Rex probably read the plane crash story and somehow it stuck in his head-Not someone you want to sit behind if you value an unobstructed view of the stage! Curiously, there was no mention of his partnership with Kimberly Glasco. Obviously, Rex Harrington does not read CD, as otherwise he would have read about how Cranko passed away in my R&J review from 2006. To his credit, he acknowledged late comers who sat behind him, who most ignore. That’s enough of the Ballet Talk; onto my critique of R&J.

Kate mentioned issues with the lighting (not enough of it). I could see everything from my view in front row A of Ring 3. I did use opera glasses for many variations. For moi Sonia Rodriguez & Zdenek Konvalina along with the pairing of Chan Hon Goh & Aleksandar Antonijevic just didn’t summon the raw spring of youth generated by the Heather Ogden/Guillaume Côté duet I’ve seen over the years. Double AA gave an amazing performance considering he is getting up there in ballerino years. He may look like the fountain of youth on stage but I’m willing to wager he emerged late Saturday morning with quite a few aches and groans! Hon Goh and AA obviously gave a more mature performance than the youthful Konvalina and getting up there in ballerina years Rodriguez.
From my view of the stage, neither partnership worked. Hon Goh evoked images of an aunt to her love struck Romeo and sadly Sonia Rodriguez, as lovely as she is evoked images of an older sister to her goo-goo eyed Romeo. Next go around, I’m sure we’ll see Bridgett Zehr play his Juliet. There will be no more R&Js for Chan Hon Goh (retiring) and AA plus Sonia Rodriguez, who are approaching the winter stage of their careers at the Four Seasons. I admit it; I am a spoiled ballet fan who needs to see his FAVs. It was the difference between apple pie with whipped cream and without! Unfortunately, the dates were not convenient for me to partake of the Ogden/Côté parfait and hence I suffered.

Fortunately, Piotr Stanczyk stepped up to alleviate some of my suffering with a show stealing performance as Romeo’s good buddy Mercutio. He has quite a heavy dance load to move the story along in a supporting role. Stanczyk really took charge on stage and thus inspired quite a few well earned BRAVOS!

As for the choreography, I love the Cranko version and it fits like the proverbial glove onto the National Ballet of Canada. And yes Kate, I have seen other versions of R&J. For example: I’ve watched the Kenneth MacMillan Teatro Alla Scala DVD version with Angel Corella and Alessandra Ferri. Not every company boasts a 70 plus roster. Try touring with the MacMillan edition. All hail John Cranko! It really is a shame he passed away at such an early age: 45.

Now I’m going to break a ballet critic’s unwritten rule and extend kudos and bravi galore to an unnamed dancer in the ballet program: Antonella Martinelli! She created such beauty on stage, always in character, dancing as if she was living her sweet dream; I couldn’t help but divert my orbs to her when I should have been watching the main action on stage! Martinelli evokes memories of the silent screen actress Louise Brooks, in that you immediately pick her out of a crowd. If only the National could somehow capture her ‘je ne sais quoi’ and bottle this living work of art! I admit it; I am a victim of her ballerina magnetism. Below is a review of Antonella Martinelli from ‘An Italian Straw Hat.’



There you have it; an undiscovered talent, at long last discovered! I hope Mrs. K gives her some soloist roles like the pussy cat in Sleeping Beauty, a chocolate in the Nutcracker, or filly for An Italian Straw Hat. She looks like she would be a great Kitri for Don Quixote. We’ll have to wait and see what the future has in store for this delicious silent screen beauty. The time has come to bid adieu to the cobwebs of ballerina antiquity and make way for the sweet dew of youth!

Ha! Indeed.



That's a shame, Michael. I hoping Nehemiakh Kish/Xiao Nan Yu fare better. I'll let you know.

Thanks for the review!

You’re welcome Keira. I figured your Romeo was the handsome Nehemiah Kish.

* Rex Harrington is fortunate he still has all his hair. I don’t believe they make hats large enough to fit over his ego, which I believe has actually become larger since his retirement-If that is indeed possible!

I found a very interesting bloggerina about the Clement Crisp Ballet Talk. This is a MUST read!

Leigh Witchel reviews the mixed program in intimate detail with some nice photos.

Thanks for the links, Michael! Annie White (the "bloggerina") has a great picture of the Emergence curtain call on her Flikr (along with some other great ballet pics).

I don’t care what anybody says, they look like bats!