Tuesday May 12, 2009 - A long-awaited evening at the Skirball Center on Washington Square: Martha Graham's CLYTEMNESTRA was presented, Graham's only full-evening work. The ballet has been lovingly restored and was magnificently danced. Above: Feng-Yi Sheu in the title role.
I must say it took me a while to find my bearings while watching this performance. The evening started off with an unexpected distraction: my tickets showed an 8:00 PM curtain time; Rob and I met at 7:30, feeling we had ample time to settle in and read a bit of the program notes. Suddenly Susan came rushing up with the news that the actual start time was 7:30. We just had time to get seated and catch our breath when the house darkened. Things were unsettled and it took a while for CLYTEMNESTRA to begin to weave its spell.
At first the piece seemed very dated; I kept thinking that the music was 'wrong' or that it needed fresh costume designs...something to make it more current. But soon I realized that CLYTEMNESTRA is all of a piece and no element could possibly be changed. Graham knew exactly what she was doing and she chose her music (Halim-El Dabh) and the visual context (sets by Isamu Noguchi and costumes by Graham herself collaborating with Helen McGehee) to show her work to fullest advantage. Susan had brought along her Playbill from the first time she'd ever seen this work back in the 1970s, with her scribbled notes. This memento from the past helped me think of the evening in a context of visiting a living museum.
But as the work progressed, it shed its preserved quality and seemed increasingly vital and contemporary. The powerful personalities and dynamic movement of the dancers compelled admiration and drew us deeper and deeper into the theatrical experience.
Rob and I are very familiar with these characters from our opera-going: ELEKTRA and IPHIGENIE EN TAURIDE keep these characters alive for opera-goers though as Susan pointed out, the stories of the House of Atreus are not well known to the general public...and especially not from a female perspective. The hit film TROY tells part of the story, but it's a man's tale. And we don't find Clytemnestra herself there. These are stories so rich in personalities and events that they cry out to be remembered, pondered and kept alive.
Tonight the ancient characters came to life again, and I especially loved the 'chanted' capsule biographies of each of the main players which formed the heart of the prologue. Super-titles, usually not a part of a dance performance, seemed appropriate here...almost giving the evening a silent-movie feel.
As Clytemnestra, Fang-Yi Sheu (photo: Costas) had a singular triumph thru her majestic yet hauntingly feminine portrayal of the Queen. The strength and physical nuances of her dancing kept the viewer riveted to her throughout the evening. Slumbering under a vast red silk cloak, the dancer evoked the iconic image of Martha Graham; this historical connection was an unavoidable aspect of the evening... and a poignant one. I never saw Martha Graham perform, but her spirit seemed to hover over Fang-Yi Sheu's magnificent interpretation all evening.
Every member of the cast seemed perfect for his or her role; the dancing and characterizations were so impeccably meshed and the spirit of the work so passionately expressed by each performer that the evening became an engrossing whole. The double layer of historical textures - the story itself and the Graham vision of it - created a unique theatrical experience.
Here is a gallery of the main players:
Fang-Yi Sheu with Maurizio Nardi (Aegisthus)
David Zurak (photo: Costas) as Agammemnon
David Martinez (photo: Costas) as King Hades
Tadej Brdzik (Orestes)
Blakleley White-McGuire as Cassandra
Miki Orihara appeared as Iphigenia
Jennifer DePalo danced the role of Electra
Kerville Jack as the Messenger of Death (photo: Costas)
All of these dancers were ideally cast and formed an ensemble of compelling power who succeeded in bringing CLYTEMNESTRA back to us from across the years, from the time when Graham herself moved to this music and then spanning back the centuries to the ancient world of legend.
Above: Martha Graham in the original production.
Above: The Martha Graham Company
Great photos! I really enjoyed the evening. I remember reading that they were going to use surtitles and thinking it was a bad idea. I was wrong, it was a very good idea! Like you, I am very familiar with the source material but since this story is not told chronologically and involves Clytemnestra's recollections the surtitles helped take away any need to try to figure out who was who and you could just focus on the dance and the drama. I can only imagine how helpful they were to people who had little or no familiarity with the story!
Too bad you're not coming to the mixed rep program, you would love Errand & Maple Leaf Rag...
Posted by: nysusan | May 13, 2009 at 02:22 PM
Early on in the evening I was thinking: "I never want to see this again!" but it certainly became increasingly interesting as the work progressed and now I wish I could see a second performance.
Susan, you must be sure to see ELEKTRA at the Met next year...it is one of their best productions.
Posted by: Philip | May 13, 2009 at 03:59 PM
Great pictures Philip! I'm sorry I missed you guys. Susan, maybe I'll see you at the mixed rep evening.
Posted by: tonya | May 13, 2009 at 04:39 PM