Thursday June 19, 2008 - Last year, ABT's new SLEEPING BEAUTY was widely criticized for its visual atrocities and lack of a cohesive theatrical statement. Dance and mime were treated with a helter-skelter feeling while certain scenic or costuming elements were simply garish and off-putting, making a long evening seem endless. Press, fans and dancers alike all seemed to share in a sense of dismay over ABT's efforts to create a new BEAUTY. (Set design sketch by Tony Walton).
ABT wisely took several of the complaints to heart and they have brought the production back - greatly improved though still needing work. Gone is the great eyesore: the 'shower curtain' which caused much mirthful comment last year. Gone also are the foolish interpolations of Prince Desire drinking from an enchanted river and later being kidnapped and bound in spider webbing. The hunting scene looks to have been shortened a bit. Some of the cheap-looking costuming has been remedied, most notably the four suitors in the Rose Adagio who have lost their crayola-coloured garb and now wear attractive, muted tones which better highlight Aurora's presence. The Fairies also seem less glitzy. Carabosse still arrives with a pyrotechnical flourish but the amount of smoke has thankfully been reduced so the fumes don't linger as they did last year.
Hopefully this is still a work-in-progress because more can be done to make it a smoother, more appealing show. The scene with the four village women being apprehended with a spindle and threatened with execution is superfluous and much too long - I wonder if more than a handful of audience members know (or care) what is happening here. Earlier, the Fairies' big set-piece still seems disorganized...too many people onstage, odd comings-and-goings, and the Fairy Knights are over-employed; they should appear simply as porteurs. Carabosse's muddy-coloured costume doesn't set her off and her 'creatures' are too sci-fi looking and not menacing at all. The Garland Waltz now seems to have more couples but they are hindered by their uni-coloured mustand-yellow costumes and the choreography and structure of this classic piece are underwhelming (study Mr. B's version!). The Fairies reappear needlessly - the Lilac Fairy doesn't need any assistance once the plot is in motion. It's harmless to have them dance at the wedding - but pointless as well. The storybook characters appear at the festivities but their numbers are cut and they are reduced to being spectators at the divertissement where they should be its stars.
I chose this performance specifically to see Herman Cornejo in a leading, classical role. After watching Herman in last summer's memorable Slow Dancing installation at Lincoln Center I realized what an intriguing dance personality he is and decided that I must try to see him more frequently. This evening's cast had the additional appeal of seeing Sarah Lane as Aurora and Maria Riccetto as the Lilac Fairy - two ballerinas whose performances in the new Tharp I especially admired.
Ms. Riccetto is a tall, elegant Lilac Fairy who wisely doesn't overdo the sweetness: she's secure in her powers and doesn't need to be a Miss Goody Toe-Shoes. She danced with regal poise and great assurance in her solos and over all she cast the graceful strength of her personality. The other Fairies danced their solos impressively and looking fetching: Melanie Hamrick, Kristi Boone, Renata Pavam, Jacquelyn Reyes and Simone Messmer. I used to think that Matt Murphy featured Jackie Reyes on his blog so often just because they are friends; but now I can see what a warm and luscious dancer she is. All these girls in fact are distinctive and I'll look forward to seeing them in future performances.
Blaine Hoven, Sascha Radetsky, Roman Zhurbin and Craig Salstein as the prospective bridegrooms gave Ms. Lane handsome support in her Rose Adagio and I couldn't help but notice that even in this rather anonymous role, Craig managed to create a living person - eying his competitors warily and eying the prize with romantic desire, he hopefully inhaled the fragrance of the flower before presenting it to Aurora as if to say: "I hope this rose does the trick!".
Sarah Lane's wonderful success in the Rose Adagio set the tone for her entire performance. Her childlike appearance and her easy sense of being a princess (no false modesty here) gave her enormous appeal right from her entry. She achieved the long balances of the Adagio with complete command and then danced her solo with technical assurance and a delicious charm that was never syrupy. In the Vision Scene, Sarah knew just how to linger on her balances with a dreamy quality. As time goes on she will come to develop more of a sense of 'prima ballerina' regality in the final scene but as it stands now, Sarah Lane is a truly delightful Aurora.
With the Wedding Scene bereft of its familiar character pieces, the Bluebird pas de deux sticks out like a sore thumb. It was nicely danced by Yuriko Kajiya and Gennadi Saveliev, though the latter is rather taller than most Bluebirds. Ms. Kajiya responded warmly to the music and has a nice light touch.
Overall then this would have been a highly enjoyable evening in terms of dance, and featuring a very appealing and entirely satisfying Aurora; what turned this BEAUTY into something more was Herman Cornejo's perfect Prince Desire (Paul Rodriguez photo). From the moment he came soaring onstage in an opening salvo of leaps and turns (backed by four huntsmen) Herman raised the temperature in the Met and gave the whole evening the glow only a superstar can radiate. But what is gorgeous about Herman is, there is never a hint of showing off or grandstanding; he executes the bravura passages with such sincerity, grace and musicality that the framework of the story-situation is always maintained and he never seems to say "Now watch this!" Added to all that, he's a refined and ardent partner and in the Vision Scene there was a real gleam in his eye as he found his heart's desire. His port de bras and hands are always elegant and expressive without fussiness and everything about his dancing is so clean and pure. Rob and I felt at the end that the ballet might rightly have been re-titled PRINCE DESIRE.
The audience however was another matter. There was a substantial house though certainly not a full one; however they could not muster anything more than lethargic applause most of the evening. Despite the excellent performances of Sarah, Herman & Maria it took a mighty effort from a small clan of fans at the orchestra railing to evoke an extra bow. In the 'old days' this trio would have been bowing and dodging bouquets for several minutes. The Family Circle was full of restless children who talked non-stop thru Act I with no reprimanding adult intercession. ABT makes the mistake of leaving the curtain-lights on half for the entr'actes and the unsophisticated crowd takes this to mean they can converse freely since the music is...only Tchaikovsky. Between scenes in Act I half of the Family Circle decided to migrate to the Balcony, hauling their shopping bags and kids with them and totally destroying the mood. I was glad when Rob told me there were plenty of seats in the Grand Tier and I moved there. The only distraction there was the three women in front of us who felt compelled to comment on everything. Then, just as the Wedding pas de deux started, they got up and left.
Anyway, the pared-down production is now only about ten minutes longer than New York City Ballet's version: the Peter Martins production which many people find insultingly compressed. Would that ABT's had the visual appeal of NYCB's - and the magic of the Balanchine Garland Waltz. Still, it was all worth enduring for the sake of watching Herman Cornejo.
