Sleeping Beauty, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Wednesday September 16th 2015
The Australian Ballet's new production of "The Sleeping Beauty" is conceived by Artistic Director, David McAllister with Costume and Set Design by Gabriela Tylesova and Lighting Design by Jon Buswell.
I am usually not a fan of "The Sleeping Beauty" as in the past it has laboured on and on with audiences nodding off and lots of shuffling feet. Previous productions have appeared either tired or just way too long. I was surprised that a new production was so close on the heels of the 2005 production by Stanton Welch.
In the Weekend Australian Sharon Verghis interviewed David McAllister (Weekend Australian Review August 29-30 2015, pages 6-8). She wrote about "Welch's 2005 production was strong on ideas but fundamentally flawed aesthetically" and apparently Stanton Welch himself thought the costumes were weird when he saw it a second time.
The 2005 marketing blurb by The Australian Ballet was extolling the then new Stanton Welch version while in a recent interview with Amanda Dunn in The Age (Spectrum August 29 2015, pages 8-10) reading between the lines David McAllister was not happy with the 2005 production. In The Age interview David McAllister said "My aim is that once you sit down and the curtain goes up you won't be able to tell what is new and what's old". He also said in the interview to The Age that he wanted "to get a production to be a bit more user-friendly to audiences, families and so on". Congratulations to David as to some extent his vision does apply.
I was waiting to see for myself, because as a subscriber I thought "why not just fix up what you were not happy with Stanton Welch's production?" David McAllister has succeeded with this redeeming production and turning my dislike of this ballet to fond regard and respect.
Costume and Set Design by Gabriela Tylesova is superb. The set design with the bones or antlers protecting the wings reminds me of the model theatres that we would build as children using fruit boxes and the toys from the cereal packets. It created a magical fairy tale quality with the hint of darkness.
Lighting Design by Jon Buswell illuminates the dancers, sets and costumes in majestic harmony.
The staging of dancers carrying on tables and the baby's crib was awkward. I understand they do not use mechanical trucks to wheel these set items as they may ruin the specialised dance floor. (Is it Tarkett?)
Some children in the audience were falling asleep during Act Two as it was a school night and very late for most. Many of the children around us were nestling into their parents as they tried to stay awake for Act Three. I do not blame The Australian Ballet if they bring this new production back within two years. Also it would be admirable if they created a book to record the process of creating this new ballet and showcasing the beautiful designs for the sets and costumes.
David McAllister's notebook is full of his ideas. I am surprised that the documenting of the choreography has not been recorded in Benesh Notation with the expertise of Mark Kay. The purity of David McAllister's vision of intended moves and timing is more accurate using this type of recording rather than video or digital film which only records an interpretation of a performance.
It is so important to record the details of movement and intention in their pure form without politics of different interpretations. (Refer Benesh Notator, Michele Braban's specialised articles.)
Act One had a Black Prince who stole this act for me. The four princes danced well but the Black Prince was sensational. He was brilliant with his powerfully strong and assured presence and his crisp neat technique. He was a prince to drool over for his masculinity and brilliant dancing.
Act One has Carabosse (Lynette Wills) present Princess Aurora (Amber Scott) with a spindle, and then accidentally pricks her finger and collapses into a deep sleep. The Lilac Fairy (Valerie Tereshchenko) casts a spell over the kingdom and sadly about four of the dancers fell on a musical cue rather than when directed by the Lilac Fairy's spell. This error also occurred during Act Two when about four dancers (of the court) awakened on musical cue rather than when directed by the Lilac Fairy's breaking spell.
Act Two has a strange moment when Prince Desire (Ty King-Wall) does not see the Lilac Fairy each time she enters. This looks ridiculous and is the main part that needs some re-staging. She is right in front of him and he pretends to not see her. But then she is right in front of him again and he suddenly sees her. It was corny and sillier than ever and had a disconnect with David McAllister's other visions for improving this ballet. Cleaning this section up will create a more logical sighting of the Lilac Fairy by Prince Desire.
The other aspect that does not make sense is when Prince Desire is given a key. As an audience we think the key is to open the large black gate in front of him, No! The black gate flat flies out as we enter to see Sleeping Beauty in a casket. He uses the key to open the casket. (It is a fairy tale and logic does not always apply.) In Act One there was more ostentatious miming for such smaller incidental actions compared to no miming by Prince Desire to open this huge black gate!
The ivory/bone coloured flats that bordered the proscenium arch were kept to frame Act Two. When the black gate flew in these ivory/bone flats stood out so much that they looked out of place. Maybe the lighting could subdue the focus on these to reduce the contrast as we are talking about a hundred year sleep here.
The sleeping chamber reminds me of the rose petals bed from the movie "American Beauty".
The story of the princes vying for Princess Aurora's affections in Act One reminds me that this story has been rehashed so many times. The latest television versions of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are poor cousins to this version of "The Sleeping Beauty" ballet.
David McAllister's Act Three is the best I have ever seen. The first time I saw "Aurora's Wedding" was in about 1967 at The Princess Theatre. His version transported me to the magical wedding rather than wanting to flee the theatre from fatigue.
The third act was a major highlight visually and a reduction of audience fatigue. Children were still falling asleep as it was a long night. I am so grateful for the reduction in time.
I am usually not a fan of "The Sleeping Beauty" as in the past it has laboured on and on with audiences nodding off and lots of shuffling feet. Previous productions have appeared either tired or just way too long. I was surprised that a new production was so close on the heels of the 2005 production by Stanton Welch.
In the Weekend Australian Sharon Verghis interviewed David McAllister (Weekend Australian Review August 29-30 2015, pages 6-8). She wrote about "Welch's 2005 production was strong on ideas but fundamentally flawed aesthetically" and apparently Stanton Welch himself thought the costumes were weird when he saw it a second time.
The 2005 marketing blurb by The Australian Ballet was extolling the then new Stanton Welch version while in a recent interview with Amanda Dunn in The Age (Spectrum August 29 2015, pages 8-10) reading between the lines David McAllister was not happy with the 2005 production. In The Age interview David McAllister said "My aim is that once you sit down and the curtain goes up you won't be able to tell what is new and what's old". He also said in the interview to The Age that he wanted "to get a production to be a bit more user-friendly to audiences, families and so on". Congratulations to David as to some extent his vision does apply.
I was waiting to see for myself, because as a subscriber I thought "why not just fix up what you were not happy with Stanton Welch's production?" David McAllister has succeeded with this redeeming production and turning my dislike of this ballet to fond regard and respect.
Costume and Set Design by Gabriela Tylesova is superb. The set design with the bones or antlers protecting the wings reminds me of the model theatres that we would build as children using fruit boxes and the toys from the cereal packets. It created a magical fairy tale quality with the hint of darkness.
Lighting Design by Jon Buswell illuminates the dancers, sets and costumes in majestic harmony.
The staging of dancers carrying on tables and the baby's crib was awkward. I understand they do not use mechanical trucks to wheel these set items as they may ruin the specialised dance floor. (Is it Tarkett?)
Some children in the audience were falling asleep during Act Two as it was a school night and very late for most. Many of the children around us were nestling into their parents as they tried to stay awake for Act Three. I do not blame The Australian Ballet if they bring this new production back within two years. Also it would be admirable if they created a book to record the process of creating this new ballet and showcasing the beautiful designs for the sets and costumes.
David McAllister's notebook is full of his ideas. I am surprised that the documenting of the choreography has not been recorded in Benesh Notation with the expertise of Mark Kay. The purity of David McAllister's vision of intended moves and timing is more accurate using this type of recording rather than video or digital film which only records an interpretation of a performance.
It is so important to record the details of movement and intention in their pure form without politics of different interpretations. (Refer Benesh Notator, Michele Braban's specialised articles.)
Act One had a Black Prince who stole this act for me. The four princes danced well but the Black Prince was sensational. He was brilliant with his powerfully strong and assured presence and his crisp neat technique. He was a prince to drool over for his masculinity and brilliant dancing.
Act One has Carabosse (Lynette Wills) present Princess Aurora (Amber Scott) with a spindle, and then accidentally pricks her finger and collapses into a deep sleep. The Lilac Fairy (Valerie Tereshchenko) casts a spell over the kingdom and sadly about four of the dancers fell on a musical cue rather than when directed by the Lilac Fairy's spell. This error also occurred during Act Two when about four dancers (of the court) awakened on musical cue rather than when directed by the Lilac Fairy's breaking spell.
Act Two has a strange moment when Prince Desire (Ty King-Wall) does not see the Lilac Fairy each time she enters. This looks ridiculous and is the main part that needs some re-staging. She is right in front of him and he pretends to not see her. But then she is right in front of him again and he suddenly sees her. It was corny and sillier than ever and had a disconnect with David McAllister's other visions for improving this ballet. Cleaning this section up will create a more logical sighting of the Lilac Fairy by Prince Desire.
The other aspect that does not make sense is when Prince Desire is given a key. As an audience we think the key is to open the large black gate in front of him, No! The black gate flat flies out as we enter to see Sleeping Beauty in a casket. He uses the key to open the casket. (It is a fairy tale and logic does not always apply.) In Act One there was more ostentatious miming for such smaller incidental actions compared to no miming by Prince Desire to open this huge black gate!
The ivory/bone coloured flats that bordered the proscenium arch were kept to frame Act Two. When the black gate flew in these ivory/bone flats stood out so much that they looked out of place. Maybe the lighting could subdue the focus on these to reduce the contrast as we are talking about a hundred year sleep here.
The sleeping chamber reminds me of the rose petals bed from the movie "American Beauty".
The story of the princes vying for Princess Aurora's affections in Act One reminds me that this story has been rehashed so many times. The latest television versions of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are poor cousins to this version of "The Sleeping Beauty" ballet.
David McAllister's Act Three is the best I have ever seen. The first time I saw "Aurora's Wedding" was in about 1967 at The Princess Theatre. His version transported me to the magical wedding rather than wanting to flee the theatre from fatigue.
The third act was a major highlight visually and a reduction of audience fatigue. Children were still falling asleep as it was a long night. I am so grateful for the reduction in time.
During a large ensemble number with all of the dancers in rows. one male dancer in the front row wearing red shoes began another phrase of choreography and quickly recovered. I am more in awe of the speed of recovery than the error. Yes he may have possibly jumped forward in the choreography or started the choreography for another role. Why you ask am I pointing this out? Because this company is so good and dancing is a means of communication, and his partner's communication helped him recover from this hiccup. Teamwork and trust work together are paramount.
Another couple barely had enough room to squeeze through during two line formations of one group moving downstage as the front row threaded back upstage. Yes they banged into each and continued. No hysterical fits - they just got on with the job. They cannot hold grudges as this could easily happen to anyone of the dancers. It was only the second performance and confidence of spacing on the stage will improve. Again I am more impressed with the resilience of this company and how the dancers just get on with the job.
Amber Scott is a sensational ballerina. I found her left foot was being favoured a little during the first two acts. If so, this is totally understandable as this is a huge role for any dancer let alone a ballerina of Amber Scott's quality. By Act Three, Amber had overcome her tentative left foot, as her assurance returned thus demonstrating her supreme artistry.
I think her left foot may be aching due to the most magnificent pas de cheval en pointe sauté across on the diagonal. I have seen other dancers perform a similar sequence before but not with Amber's lightness, grace and finesse. Amber brushed her right foot with tenderness: caressing the floor while her left foot hopped along to create magic.
Ty King-Wall was brilliant as Prince Desire with his pure lines and solid technique. His three double tour en l'air in a row were some of the cleanest and most majestic I have ever seen by a male dancer. He has a strong core and concluded each turn in a tight and clean fifth position without sticking his bum out at the end in his plie. His arms were steel - strong, bold and regal, framing his body majestically.
Both Amber Scott and Ty King-Wall are ballet royalty. Both dancers are for young dancers to aspire to, and for older people to relish in the fantasy they deliver.
The third act had the integration of the fairy tale characters at the masked ball. These fairy tale characters were the friends in the woods from Act Two. They arrived at the ball in fancy dress costumes. This doubling up of the friends playing the fairy tale characters made sense for the first time ever in Act Three, rather than having the fairy tale characters just dancing party tricks.
The Bluebird pas de deux was good, though at times it looked like Brett Chynoweth's left foot was not fully stretched and this may have been an optical illusion due to the colour of the shoes. Or maybe an elastic broke as it seemed to flap a bit. His batterie was robust.
I think her left foot may be aching due to the most magnificent pas de cheval en pointe sauté across on the diagonal. I have seen other dancers perform a similar sequence before but not with Amber's lightness, grace and finesse. Amber brushed her right foot with tenderness: caressing the floor while her left foot hopped along to create magic.
Ty King-Wall was brilliant as Prince Desire with his pure lines and solid technique. His three double tour en l'air in a row were some of the cleanest and most majestic I have ever seen by a male dancer. He has a strong core and concluded each turn in a tight and clean fifth position without sticking his bum out at the end in his plie. His arms were steel - strong, bold and regal, framing his body majestically.
Both Amber Scott and Ty King-Wall are ballet royalty. Both dancers are for young dancers to aspire to, and for older people to relish in the fantasy they deliver.
The third act had the integration of the fairy tale characters at the masked ball. These fairy tale characters were the friends in the woods from Act Two. They arrived at the ball in fancy dress costumes. This doubling up of the friends playing the fairy tale characters made sense for the first time ever in Act Three, rather than having the fairy tale characters just dancing party tricks.
The Bluebird pas de deux was good, though at times it looked like Brett Chynoweth's left foot was not fully stretched and this may have been an optical illusion due to the colour of the shoes. Or maybe an elastic broke as it seemed to flap a bit. His batterie was robust.
Valerie Tereshenko was brilliant as The Lilac Fairy. She has matured so much as an artist.
The various fairies danced well and I wanted more sharpness when required.
Act Two had the green nymphs protecting Princess Aurora from Prince Desire in various configurations. At times this became corny when the protection was contrived and choreographed rather than really not allowing the Prince Desire access to Princess Aurora. The configurations at times added more drama and we needed more of this.
John Truscott would have loved the ushers and bar staff wearing a pink flower in the lapel to add to the atmosphere of attending the ballet. His vision for the Arts Centre Melbourne was that patrons should have an experience before, during and after a performance.
Historical note: This was the first time in three years that we did not have mobile phones or electronic devices beeping or flashing during the performance. The Barbican Theatre also requests more specifically not to use flight mode or Silent but to completely switch off your phone. I do long for the locating technology similar to what will be installed in the Barbican Theatre in London so the ushers can locate violators.
I have renewed faith in "The Sleeping Beauty"as a ballet after finally seeing a version that was beautifully danced, visually stunning and made sense.
Other observations:
My prediction is that Natasha Kusch will be promoted to Principal after her final performance in Sydney. This will be a marketing coup for The Australian Ballet with the diversity of multi-cultures in the Principal ranks of the dancers..
The Australian Ballet should produce a book about the process of creating "The Sleeping Beauty" with lots of photos of rehearsals and designs.
