ABT – Giselle – Herrera, Bolle 6/11

Some brief notes on tonight’s performance which was Roberto Bolle’s inaugural Giselle at ABT with Paloma Herrera in the title role.

Every time you go to the theater and hear a different actor’s voice boom, “To be or not to be,” it’s a different theatrical experience. The words are the same, the literal meanings of the words are the same, but the theatrical experience always feels different. And so it was tonight with Roberto Bolle delivering an Albrecht who was elegant, well-mannered, European upper crust who quite simply did not realize that he could not mix it up with the common class. It’s been a while since we’ve seen such a basic interpretation. But it was refreshing and worked exceedingly well.

Tall, with matinee idol good looks, classically beautiful in line, and the discipline never to step over that line of European upper crust good taste, Bolle was a more than pleasing Albrecht. Every gesture and expression was sincere and every step had a sense of integrity. He’s a huge man and yet his landings from jumps were soft and controlled. He landed jumps in arabesques that were 90 degrees and did not waver. His pirouettes, were moderate in terms of number of revolutions, but were so tidy and elegant, it didn’t matter how many times he went around. He’s style and substance.

Haglund likes Bolle a lot. His understated style and sense of values are a nice addition to the spectacular and very individual Albrechts which we already enjoy.

Tonight was Bolle’s first performance with Paloma Herrera – all of his previous performances here have been with Alessandra Ferri. Haglund thought that they were a good match and were pleasing to watch together. Paloma’s Giselle has always been unfairly criticized as not being emotive. She does not have big doe-like eyes the way Julie Kent, Vishneva, Ananiashvili and Dvorovenko have which in a way is a disadvantage because her emotion is more difficult to see. But the emotion is there, and it was there tonight in a big way.

Also on display tonight were her impossibly beautiful feet and legs which can, as we saw, accomplish a romantic line. The work that she has invested in developing her Act II port de bras paid off, because she was freakin’ gorgeous tonight. Soft, limpid, beautifully formed arms and hands.

Isaac Stappas turned in a brilliant performance as Hilarion. No problems with the horn prop tonight. His terror and pleading at Myrta’s feet was good theater.

Michele Wiles was Myrta for the second time this week and faired better than her first performance which was somewhat rugged. Haglund thinks that her costume is too high in the front and should be cut down. Also, the fabric looks too thick and reflects too much light.

Tonight’s peasant PdD was danced quite well by Misty Copeland and Craig Salstein. Misty made an honest and very successful effort to dial back the bravura and stay in happy peasant character. More than once did Haglund reflect on how wonderful it will be to see her Lise in La Fille Mal Gardee.

This is turning out to be such a great week of Giselles. For tonight’s performance, Haglund presents this elegant slingback Pump Bump Award:

 

 

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