Coppelia, The Australian Ballet, Palais Theatre, Wednesday September 28th 2016

Coppelia, The Australian Ballet, Palais Theatre, Wednesday September 28th 2016

"Coppelia"is revived by The Australian Ballet, Palais Theatre, Wednesday September 28th 2016.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

This production of "Coppelia" was devised and directed by George Ogilvie with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Leon and revised by Marius Petipa and Enrico Cecchetti.  This original choreography was reproduced by Peggy Van Pragh, and then by the Benesh Notator Mark Kay.

Sets and Costume Design are by Kristian Fredrikson.  His sets are costumes are as sumptuous as ever.

Lighting Design is by Francis Croese creates the right amount of focus on this narrative ballet.

Staging at the Palais Theatre at 13 metres looks cramped compared to The State Theatre's 15.44 metres proscenium stage width.  But oh the seats are so much more comfortable and the ushers are better at the Palais Theatre as they escort you to your seat!  I remember seeing this production originally in 1979 here and it did not look quite as cramped with the amount of crashing into each other that occurred in the large ensemble dances.

The best part of the "Coppelia" was the sublime duo of Ako Kondo dancing Swanilda with her real life partner Chengu Guo as Franz.  Chengu Guo's pirouettes and grande coupe en jete entournant menage were steely and electric.

The other aspect was the orchestra who played the delicious music of Leo Delibes brilliantly under the expert direction of Nicolette Fraillon.

Some of the crashing into each other for the corps de ballet was distracting.  But the view from our seats was sensational.

I was disappointed that The Australian Ballet did not explain to subscribers either in the brochure or the press the reason for the move to the Palais Theatre.  I guessed it was to do with the "Ring Cycle" and rang and confirmed this prior to attending.  Still The Australian Ballet did not tell subscribers and I had regulars asking me if I knew the reason.  These regulars also were disgusted that The Australian Ballet did not tell their regulars.

Overall this production received a good but not great 7/10.

Cinderella, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Wednesday June 24th 2015

Cinderella, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Wednesday June 24th 2015

We saw this new version of "Cinderella" by Alexei Ratmansky in 2013 and it is good to see it again while our memories are clear.

We were meant to have the following A cast for "Cinderella" according to the Australian Ballet website:

Wednesday 24 June, 7.30pm
Conductor: Nicolette Fraillon
Cinderella: Madeline Eastoe
Prince: Kevin Jackson

Our cast was  instead:

Cinderella: Ako Kondo
Prince: Chengwu Guo

It was great to see this B Cast as they are a couple in their personal life as well.  This new couple are a dream for marketing purposes, as was previous couples within the Australian Ballet..  Both are usually sensational dancers of the highest calibre.

This second viewing within two years of the original in 2013 brings some positive and negative reactions.

The comedy was not up to the standard of my first viewing.  The timing was not as precise along with more defined characterisations of some characters.  It felt as if some of the characters were not projecting past the front rows of the stalls.

The least enjoyable aspect was the two women (mid to late 30s) sitting in front with their three children.  One would imagine that the children would be the issue.  Wrong.  Can you imagine one woman had the gaul to take out her mobile phone and continue to show her friend photos during the performance.  Yes it is true.  I leant forward and asked her "Please turn your phone off as it is very distracting."  How they huffed and puffed for the rest of Act One was so distracting.  I tried to watch the planets section of the ballet and they continued to chat amongst themselves.

At the first interval, I reported their inappropriate behaviour  to our local usher and then proceeded to report this to the Front of House Manager.  Both of the Arts Centre staff were very helpful.  By the time I returned to my seat my colleague said that the usher had spoken to them.

The two women were trying to send me up with their body language by mimicking texting and their over the shoulder glares at me.  It was a relief that they were vocally quiet for the remainder of the ballet after first interval.

They did not turn on their phones for Act Two.  During the second interval she had the audacity to theatrically show her lurid photos making sure that we got to see herself wearing a thong and sitting with her back on an exercise ball.  Obviously she was proud to show off these revealing shots for all of the men and women to see.  I am curious if these women received complimentary tickets courtesy of the main sponsor of the Australian Ballet.

The staff of the sponsors of the Australian Ballet have a responsibility to represent their company in the best possible light.  They should be role models and turn off their phones and not put their feet up on the seats etc.

I have advised the Australian Ballet of my concerns as the sponsors are certainly jeopardising their value for money if their staff behave in a inappropriate manner.  These sponsor seats are sometimes relished and honoured as a treat to the staff.  Other times the staff attend with utter disdain.

Is it a coincidence that we had another fall on stage during another mobile phone incident?

The costume designs by Jerome Kaplan are beautiful allowing the audience to view the line of the dancer's body with the flow of the fabric.  Sometimes costumes do not do justice to the expense of the fabrics as the audience may not see the detailed textures of the fabrics.  Here the fabrics chosen have different weights and textures which come across to the audience to highlight the different characters.  I particularly like the ball room suits with their metallic fabrics.

Set designs, also by Jerome Kaplan blend and balance his beautiful costumes.  I really love the backstage atmosphere of the theatre in the opening scene which is reminiscent of backstage shows like "Gypsy."  His designs for the ballroom scene are exquisite and reminds me of the grandeur of Cranko's "Romeo and Juliet."

While I recall the ballroom scene the choreography of the latest dance moves section, reminds me of a combination of John Cranko's "Romeo and Juliet" with Pina Bausch's "1980" conga line.  Pina Bausch uses lots of gestures in conga lines as in the film "Pina" - where they gesture the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.  You may wonder how they are similar.  Alexei Ratmansky has a cheeky fun, contemporary, cliquey style to the ballroom scene.  Alexei Ratmansky's cliquey style juxtaposes the dance styles of Cinderella's Stepsisters and Stepmother.  This section is so clever on a second viewing and is a ballet version of synchronised group dances like the Macarena, Time-warp and boot-scooting.

Cinderella's Stepsisters and Stepmother perform their embarrassing solos and the other guests politely applaud with occluded jaws and tight smiles,  The choreography is not only the dance steps, it is also requires these fine dancers to work their costumes to humorous effect.   Skinny Stepsister (Ingrid Gow),  Dumpy Stepsister (Eloise Fryer) work well together with Cinderella's Stepmother danced by Valerie Tereshchenko.  Some of the the timing of the comedic sequences was not as slick as in 2013 resulting in the original jokes were not as funny.

The Prince takes Cinderella out onto the terrace.  The set and lighting design is superb with the rolling away of the pillars to reveal the terrace and the full moon rising.  The hedges roll in as if the trees from Disney on Parade's "Alice in Wonderland" or as if the haunted forest from Disney on Parade's "Snow White" section.  The hedges become the ticking clocks for the imminent approach of midnight is such a lovely surprise.  The moon becomes the clock chiming midnight.  Such a magnificent tribute to the artistry of Salvador Dali.

The pas de deux by the Prince and Cinderella was magnificent.  Ako Kondo is such a superbly beautiful technician.  More so, she is an artist of the highest calibre and it was such an honour to witness her in this seminal role.  She nailed it particularly in this pas de deux.  While Chengwu Guo is usually at the top of his game, here he had a few moments where his lifts were not so self assured.  This is not a criticism as he is normally so perfect, it was wonderful to see this genius show some human frailty or struggles.  They were not major issues for us as an audience, more of a surprise as he is such a perfectionist and one of the greatest male dancers I have ever seen dancing live.  I am sure with more performances he will find the ease and timing of some of the lifts.

Overall the timing of the comedy was not as slick as when I saw the original staging in 2013.  One of the few moments that was as funny was the hairdressers sequence at the start of Act One. This scene is a combination of the choreography, costumes and wig/props.  The artistry of the performers is crucial in projecting their characterisations to the back of the theatre and maintain good technique.    As the hairdressers Calvin Hannaford, Shaun Andrews and Luke Marchant admirably accomplished all of these requirements to create a funny scene with the lead female characters.

The Stepsisters and Stepmother are fun and not as nasty as in other film or stage versions.  They represent a selfish group of people, yet we can see through their transparent behaviour and they are endearing in their hedonism.

The role of the Fairy Godmother danced by Lynette Wills seemed to be cut down from the original staging of 2013.  Other people I spoke to had the same recollection.  Though Lynette Wills danced the role well, it seemed as if there were missing moments -particularly in the interaction with Cinderella.  If the role was not cut down, then the impact of the Fairy Godmother was not as theatrically memorable.

The tribute to Salvadore Dali is highlighted with the surrealist designs of the moon turning into the midnight clock and topiary trees that became timepieces.  The use of the planets instead of the mice and coach is also another astrological tribute to Salvadore Dali's surrealism.

I was very keen to view the segue to the start of the planets sequence to see if it worked.  Sadly our rude ladies in front pulled out their mobile phone to check their social media.  Just these few seconds interrupted my viewing experience.  So I look forward to seeing "Cinderella" again in the future.

I would like to see the souvenir programme include the year on page three of each edition.  It does state the Melbourne dates without the year 2015.  For collectors of the ballet programmes, the Artistic Director's introduction does not even mention the year.  I love the photos of the planets in the programme and would love each costume to have a single photograph in future productions and programmes.

My favourite part of this performance of "Cinderella" was Ako Kondo who was framed by the ever reliable Chengwu Guo.  I look forward to their partnership in future productions.

Imperial Suite and Suite En Blanc June 25 2014.

Imperial Suite and Suite En Blanc

State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne,  Wednesday June 25 2014.

This classical double bill by The Australian Ballet of "ImperialSuite" and "Suite En Blanc" was superb.  Both are not my favourite ballets, though I must give credit where it is due.  They were superbly danced, to the extent I say the best I have seen them performed by this company.

"Imperial Suite" choreographed by George Balanchine is a classical ballet in shades of blue.  A rich blue that is so regal it is nearly purple at times.  To think that this ballet originated in 1941 is a testament to Balanchine's training, heritage and musicality.

The solo piano played by Duncan Salton was beautiful to listen to.  The dancers must be in heaven to dance to such beauty.

This ballet showcases technique, musicality and artistry.  All I can say is that the dancing was exquisite and the precision of the footwork was impeccable.  The turned out heel and the elegant and square shoulders, the extended lines, the pas de deux, the musicality, the coherence.  Pure bliss.

"Suite En Blanc" choreographed by Serge Lifar  is a white ballet with the very commanding opening tableau.

I cannot single out anyone for not contributing.  It was pure team work.

The Pas de Cinq was danced with assurance and a slight edgy feel, as one dancer was replaced from the cast list.  This gave the performance a slight tension which added to their concentration and efforts.  They danced with a dedication to their team.

The Pas de trois with Madeleine Eastoe, Kevin Jackson and Andrew Killian was sublime.  They moved as one.  Kevin Jackson returning from a short stint with the American Ballet Theatre seemed to have a new level of maturity and confidence.  He seemed effortless and so robust in his body.  Both he and Andrew Killian were so methodical and assured in their support of the sublime Madeleine Eastoe.

The Serenade, dance by Reiko Hombo was exquisite in her musicality, artistry and dancing.  If she is not promoted to principal in the next 12 months it is only because the other Senior Artists are also so deserving.  I cannot remember such a strong Senior Artist team for years.  I had tears well up in my eyes with her magnificent technique and interpretation.

Laura Tong is such a fine dancer and her interpretation of Variation de la Cigarette was precise and powerful.  It was such a shame that in her final pose her foot slipped and stole from her a faultless performance.  In true professional style she covered this and took our attention away from this "inconvenient " irritation. To maintain one's composure, technique and musicality takes skill. She was so self assured, as if she stamped out a cigarette and made her finish so individual and relevant to this ending.

The Mazurka, danced by Chengwu Guo was breath-takingly brilliant. Powerful, majestic and electrifying.  This was sheer bravura and masculinity at its best. Cheers of appreciation resounded at the conclusion of this masterful technician's solo.  He reminds me of the powerful and young Danilo Radojevic.  I would love to see this young man perform the "Billy the Kid" solo choreographed by Michael Kidd and coached by Danilo.

Amber Scott was so beautiful in her Variation de la Flute.  She is so feminine, and is so solid in her technique that originates not only in her core but also her heart.  Her port de bras is so fluid, lyrical and weightless, as if she is about to take flight.

The double tours en l'air by the men were phenomenal.  Their finish into a clean fifth position was something I have rarely seen consistently by a group of men over an entire night.

Congratulations to The Australian Ballet on such fine work and artistry.