Above: So Young An as Circe, with Lorenzo Pagano as The Snake and Lloyd Mayor, perched in Noguchi's tree, as The Lion; photo by Melissa Sherwood
~ Author: Oberon
Wednesday February 26th, 2020 - A revival of Martha Graham's CIRCE will figure prominently in the Company's 2020 season at New York's City Center, which runs from April 22nd - 26th (details here).
Premiered in 1963, CIRCE has not been performed for fifteen years. To a score by Alan Hovahness, and with settings designed by Isamu Noguchi, the ballet is inspired by the mythic Circe, a sorceress with a penchant for turning men into animals.
Circe - or characters modeled after her - has appeared in various theatrical representations over time. She is often given the name Alcina, as in Francesca Caccini's opera LA LIBERAZIONE DI RUGGIERO (the first opera written by a woman that has come down to us in a performable version); dell'Arte Opera presented this work in 2019. Handel's opera ALCINA is rumored to be having its first Metropolitan Opera production in the next two or three years. And Circe plays a part in the narrative of my favorite opera, Richard Strauss's ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, although she never actually appears. The young god Bacchus has escaped Circe's island domain, and as he sails towards Naxos - where he will rescue Ariadne - he chides the sorceress by calling out to her across the waves:
Circe kannst du mich hören ~ ARIADNE AUF NAXOS - Ben Heppner & Deborah Voigt
Tonight, at the Graham Company's homespace at Westbeth, a full run-thru of the work - replete with the Noguchi sets - was presented, with So Young An in the title role and six of Martha's Men as those who have fallen under her spell or those she would like to add to her menagerie. It was an exhilarating experience.
Alan Hovanhess's score is intriguing: by turns lyrical and dramatic, it also sometimes going off-kilter, indicating that things are far from normal in Circe's realm. The composer makes fine use of solo instruments, notably the trumpet, horn, clarinet, and oboe. You can listen to the music here.
The Noguchi setting features a small boat and an archway which might also be a tree. These were designed for an earlier Graham work, FRONTIER, which had fallen out of the repertoire. Ms. Graham kept the set pieces in storage until she found the perfect home for them on Circe's island.
So Young An was supple and tempting as Circe; the character's magic resides in a flowing red scarf which she dons when it is seduction time. Ulysses (Lloyd Knight) and his Helmsman (Ben Schultz) arrive at the island in the very cramped boat. Circe observes them from her perch in the arch/tree.
Above: Lorenzo Pagano (The Snake), Alessio Crognale (The Deer) So Young An (Circe), Lloyd Mayor (The Lion), and Jacob Larsen (The Goat). Photo by Melissa Sherwood.
Above: Jacob Larsen as The Goat; photo by Melissa Sherwood
Four men who have been transformed by Circe into animals now take an interest in the new arrivals: enslaved by the sorceress, they will aid her in bringing about the downfall of Ulysses and his comrade. Lorenzo Pagano as The Snake first appears dangling from the tree; Lloyd Mayor is The Lion, Alessio Crognale The Deer, and Jacob Larsen The Goat. All the men in this ballet wear very little; I think that's the way Martha liked her men. These dancers dispatched the demanding choreography with élan.
Above: Lloyd Knight as Ulysses, photo by Melissa Sherwood
As the story unfolds, it comes down to a battle between Circe, bent on conquest, and the Helmsman, who wants to save Ulysses and get the hell out of there. The red scarf nearly works its magic: Ulysses is falling under Circe's spell. Hunkered down in the boat, the Helmsman is attacked by the Snake and sinks into a stupor.
Above, Deer, Goat, and Lion: Alessio Crognale, Jacob Larsen, and Lloyd Mayor, photo by Melissa Sherwood
The other animals stalk and caper, driving the victim into the enchantress's arms. Just as Ulysses is about the capitulate, the Helmsman revives, hauls his master into the boat, and they sail away. Circe and her pets must now wait for someone else to succumb to the lure of her siren song.
Danced with the technical prowess and personal commitment that make the Graham dancers the best in the world, CIRCE truly does cast a spell. I look forward to seeing it again, often, and to having it become part of the Company's permanent repertory.
All photos by Melissa Sherwood.
~ Oberon