Take away the smoke, laser lights, Kabuki makeup, and odd-for-the-sake-of-odd costumes, and what is left of Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works are the same old neck rolls, rib rolls, arm rolls, twisting women to extremes, arbitrary limb jerking, walking around trying to look dramatic, and posing that we saw in his spectacular failure AfterRite six years ago. Basically, Wayne McGregor is posing as a choreographer. And ABT is posing so precariously on its last legs that many just want to knock it over, clear the rubble, and forget about it. It loses half of its Met Season, is unable to find a replacement venue, and then wastes a quarter of the reduced season on an insipid, worthless production for which it should apologize and offer every patron a refund. And also offer to pay for damages to each patron’s auditory nerve from the bombastic noise that was labeled as Max Richter music.
What a disastrous waste of money, time, and everyone’s talent. Woolf Works has little – nearly nothing – to do with Virginia Woolf’s texts, style, themes, or life. The choreographer has used an association with Woolf’s writing and life as gimmicks to brand his work as having some intellectual value when in fact it is empty as a drum. We can be grateful that Wayne McGregor didn’t decide to use Joyce’s Ulysses as a basis for his nonsense choreography. Surely, the Irish Nationalists would have hunted him down.
And yet, ABT is all pretend-smiles, hoping that if they put out media that all the dancers just love performing Wayne McGregor’s choreography that it will translate into audience acceptance. There were audible boos at yesterday’s matinee where fewer than a quarter of the seats were filled. Quite frankly, nobody cares if the dancers like the choreography. We know that they will basically do anything in order to get on stage. If ABT tells the dancers to don paper bags and yodel, they will do it and put out Instagram media that it is a wonderful opportunity.
What is so distressing about the repetition of mistakes by the artistic management is that it has plans to bring something even potentially worse next year. ABT has chosen another non-balletic, modern dance choreographer who has made nothing of value worthy of being on the Met Opera stage and she’s going to apply all her ballet knowledge to Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment to create another magnificent and expensive debacle. ABT needs to stop recklessly swinging for the fences.
If people want a laser light show beamed out to the audience, they should go to Madison Square Garden where every gimmick is regularly employed. Big fail, ABT. Perhaps the biggest fail in its history.
38 responses to “ABT fails to learn from its mistakes”
Hi — I had no plans to see ABT this season, and stuff like this justifies my decision. Went over to ballet alert to see the opinions of others who also saw WW. Days earlier, there’d been a lot of anticipation, but after seeing it, VERY mixed reviews. Ferri got praise for her part, as did Gillian, since it seemed an unusual choice for her. At any rate, it’s disappointing to see what’s happened to my fave company. I know Jaffe has a lot on her plate, and rooting out the last bits of the Kevin Era…but let’s hope they can get it together and restore this company to some of its prior glory.
Hi — I had no plans to see ABT this season, and stuff like this justifies my decision. Went over to ballet alert to see the opinions of others who also saw WW. Days earlier, there’d been a lot of anticipation, but after seeing it, VERY mixed reviews. Ferri got praise for her part, as did Gillian, since it seemed an unusual choice for her. At any rate, it’s disappointing to see what’s happened to my fave company. I know Jaffe has a lot on her plate, and rooting out the last bits of the Kevin Era…but let’s hope they can get it together and restore this company to some of its prior glory.
I went to Tuesday’s performance exclusively to say I have seen Alessandra Ferri dance. For that, it was worth it. However, I agree with the above criticisms. What on earth was with the laser lights and half-recorded music??? The Royal Ballet can afford to produce flubs, but with a shortened Met season I felt sad for ABT’s beautiful dancers that their limited time was used in this way.
Regarding the new Crime and Punishment, if we’re wanting a Russian novel, couldn’t ABT negotiate with National Ballet of Canada and secure the rights to John Neumeier’s amazing Anna Karenina? Now that is a choreographer who loves ballet.
I went to Tuesday’s performance exclusively to say I have seen Alessandra Ferri dance. For that, it was worth it. However, I agree with the above criticisms. What on earth was with the laser lights and half-recorded music??? The Royal Ballet can afford to produce flubs, but with a shortened Met season I felt sad for ABT’s beautiful dancers that their limited time was used in this way.
Regarding the new Crime and Punishment, if we’re wanting a Russian novel, couldn’t ABT negotiate with National Ballet of Canada and secure the rights to John Neumeier’s amazing Anna Karenina? Now that is a choreographer who loves ballet.
Bravo, Haglund! In my more than fifty years of ballet going, “Woolf Works” is the nadir. The score and sound effects bludgeoned my ear and the choreography was depressingly earthbound. Virginia Woolf’s literary output is noted for its subtlety. The only association with Woolf I detected yesterday afternoon was the shameless piggybacking of a ballet on her name. Watching ABT’s wonderful dancers like Isabella Boylston and Carlos Gonzalez twerk as if competing on “America’s Got Talent” was a depressing spectacle. The entire enterprise from movement to lighting to costumes to score struck me as far more willfully old fashioned than anything ever danced at the Court of the Sun King. Thirty years ago, who would have imagined the New York City Opera would go the way of the dodo? I fear for ABT’s future if “Woolf Works” is a taste of things to come. When the artistic summit of a ballet performance is an actress’s reading of Virginia Woolf’s suicide note (the superb Gillian Anderson), something is woefully amiss.
Bravo, Haglund! In my more than fifty years of ballet going, “Woolf Works” is the nadir. The score and sound effects bludgeoned my ear and the choreography was depressingly earthbound. Virginia Woolf’s literary output is noted for its subtlety. The only association with Woolf I detected yesterday afternoon was the shameless piggybacking of a ballet on her name. Watching ABT’s wonderful dancers like Isabella Boylston and Carlos Gonzalez twerk as if competing on “America’s Got Talent” was a depressing spectacle. The entire enterprise from movement to lighting to costumes to score struck me as far more willfully old fashioned than anything ever danced at the Court of the Sun King. Thirty years ago, who would have imagined the New York City Opera would go the way of the dodo? I fear for ABT’s future if “Woolf Works” is a taste of things to come. When the artistic summit of a ballet performance is an actress’s reading of Virginia Woolf’s suicide note (the superb Gillian Anderson), something is woefully amiss.
Haglund, Thank you so much for saying what I was thinking as I watched the ballet on Tuesday night. I went to see Alessandra Ferri for one last time and she never dissapoints. Wolf Works, on the other hand… I am surprised that the reviews were so positive in London. I know some Europeans tend to see their tastes as intellectually and culturally superior to that of Americans, but I didn’t think the English would go for such claptrap.
Tuesday night was pretty crowded. I kept looking around to see the reactions of the audience. I felt like I was in the story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” One gentleman behind me was saying that Wolf Works was his all time favorite ballet. If this is the future of ballet, I will just cling to the past. I can relate to my dad when he used to say, “This isn’t my world anymore.” Perhaps it’s time for me to travel to Philadelphia for my ballet fix. They have a great line-up for their 24-25 season, including Le Corsaire.
Haglund, Thank you so much for saying what I was thinking as I watched the ballet on Tuesday night. I went to see Alessandra Ferri for one last time and she never dissapoints. Wolf Works, on the other hand… I am surprised that the reviews were so positive in London. I know some Europeans tend to see their tastes as intellectually and culturally superior to that of Americans, but I didn’t think the English would go for such claptrap.
Tuesday night was pretty crowded. I kept looking around to see the reactions of the audience. I felt like I was in the story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” One gentleman behind me was saying that Wolf Works was his all time favorite ballet. If this is the future of ballet, I will just cling to the past. I can relate to my dad when he used to say, “This isn’t my world anymore.” Perhaps it’s time for me to travel to Philadelphia for my ballet fix. They have a great line-up for their 24-25 season, including Le Corsaire.
I personally think Like Water for Chocolate is a bigger fail.
I personally think Like Water for Chocolate is a bigger fail.
I haven’t seen WW, but I see the ABT commercials on YouTube a lot. I am surprised by them. I feel uncomfortable watching a man kiss a woman’s leg in a commercial for ballet. I get that ABT is trying to sell the theatrical, but this is too much. I buy plenty of tickets to see NYCB without being wooed in by creepy commercials that make ballet look like a kissing scene from a movie.
I haven’t seen WW, but I see the ABT commercials on YouTube a lot. I am surprised by them. I feel uncomfortable watching a man kiss a woman’s leg in a commercial for ballet. I get that ABT is trying to sell the theatrical, but this is too much. I buy plenty of tickets to see NYCB without being wooed in by creepy commercials that make ballet look like a kissing scene from a movie.
Thank you so much for your excellent review. I did something that I had never done in my 40 years attending ABT Summer Season: Left the performance after the second intermission, could not take it anymore. Many people were leaving at the same time. What a shame for whoever included this in the 2024 Season, not for the dancers that were very good and the orchestra members who did an extraordinary job following the electronic noise that these people dare to call music.
Thank you so much for your excellent review. I did something that I had never done in my 40 years attending ABT Summer Season: Left the performance after the second intermission, could not take it anymore. Many people were leaving at the same time. What a shame for whoever included this in the 2024 Season, not for the dancers that were very good and the orchestra members who did an extraordinary job following the electronic noise that these people dare to call music.
I cannot disagree with all the above criticism. Maybe it’s time for a new era? although what that will be? i think we do not know. Trying new things carries a risk, but at least the ballet was already tried in London with positive reviews. The ballet, especially the second act, is very much like social media – very fast-changing lights, movements that keep you alert. Social media has altered our attention. Saturday was full, of a whole new audience, was that due to this ballet?
I also agree that we should all visit the Philadelphia Ballet, where leadership and passion are poured into the performances.
I cannot disagree with all the above criticism. Maybe it’s time for a new era? although what that will be? i think we do not know. Trying new things carries a risk, but at least the ballet was already tried in London with positive reviews. The ballet, especially the second act, is very much like social media – very fast-changing lights, movements that keep you alert. Social media has altered our attention. Saturday was full, of a whole new audience, was that due to this ballet?
I also agree that we should all visit the Philadelphia Ballet, where leadership and passion are poured into the performances.
This ballet was everything I expected it to be, Haglund, and I didn’t even have to see it to know that. I agree with your review 100%. I really wish ABT could bring back all the Petipa 19th century ballets, without having to destroy them the way Indiana University did with Bayadere. Why is it that Angel Corella can find ways to present Bayadere and Corsaire in acceptable ways without destroying them entirely, and ABT has to look for absurd modern dance distortions that it promotes as futuristic and post-modern. There’s a reason the art form is called classical ballet, and I want to see that again.
This ballet was everything I expected it to be, Haglund, and I didn’t even have to see it to know that. I agree with your review 100%. I really wish ABT could bring back all the Petipa 19th century ballets, without having to destroy them the way Indiana University did with Bayadere. Why is it that Angel Corella can find ways to present Bayadere and Corsaire in acceptable ways without destroying them entirely, and ABT has to look for absurd modern dance distortions that it promotes as futuristic and post-modern. There’s a reason the art form is called classical ballet, and I want to see that again.
Although I subscribe to the Royal Ballet’s stream, I haven’t watched Woolf Works, and after reading Hagland’s great review and the educated comments here, I don’t plan to. I’ll stick with the amazing and diverse MacMillan ballets; the wonderful Ashton works and the Petipa ballets. Like some others, I have been going to the ballet over 50 years and prefer to be stuck in the past! I loved so many ballets that ABT presented then. On another note, I’m happy to read that Chloe Misseldine was promoted to Principal today! I hope some other dancers will be promoted this summer.
Although I subscribe to the Royal Ballet’s stream, I haven’t watched Woolf Works, and after reading Hagland’s great review and the educated comments here, I don’t plan to. I’ll stick with the amazing and diverse MacMillan ballets; the wonderful Ashton works and the Petipa ballets. Like some others, I have been going to the ballet over 50 years and prefer to be stuck in the past! I loved so many ballets that ABT presented then. On another note, I’m happy to read that Chloe Misseldine was promoted to Principal today! I hope some other dancers will be promoted this summer.
In a wonderful gesture unprecedented in ABT history (as far as I know), Chloe Misseldine was promoted on-stage during the Swan Lake bows by Susan Jaffe, who walked onto the stage with a microphone and made the announcement to everyone’s surprise and delight. And Chloe’sr mother (Yan Chen) was in the house – what an incredible moment for her as well! (And her partner, Aran Bell, gave an outstanding and wonderfully supportive performance.)
In a wonderful gesture unprecedented in ABT history (as far as I know), Chloe Misseldine was promoted on-stage during the Swan Lake bows by Susan Jaffe, who walked onto the stage with a microphone and made the announcement to everyone’s surprise and delight. And Chloe’sr mother (Yan Chen) was in the house – what an incredible moment for her as well! (And her partner, Aran Bell, gave an outstanding and wonderfully supportive performance.)
I was at the matinee and was actually not surprised with the announcement, especially since the NYTimes article read more like a PR piece from Jaffe, with interviews from both herself and Chloe’s mother. I assume it was prepared to justify her on stage buzz as not to suck the rest of the company?!
Now to the actual performance, I’d have to politely disagree with a few here, don’t get me wrong since both are technically strong dancers but I find both lacking in their acting ability, which is just as important in a story telling ballet. I thought Aran and Chloe wasn’t as connected they should have been. She was on and off looking at the audience vs engaging with him as if to strike a pose. Her long limbs help her extensions but some movements just looked overly done and not natural or fluid. Each moment became a photo op vs a meaningful moment to me.
It didn’t help that the tempo was so slow during their white swan variation I thought people around me were ready to snore! (A few elderly audience next to me looked like they nodded out)! Ormsby is so erratic with his tempos throughout the show that it was annoying here. Time for him to perhaps retire?
Chloe is a work-in-progress, especially with her acting skills, she has potential but I feel this promotion is a bit premature but I guess time will tell.
I was at the matinee and was actually not surprised with the announcement, especially since the NYTimes article read more like a PR piece from Jaffe, with interviews from both herself and Chloe’s mother. I assume it was prepared to justify her on stage buzz as not to suck the rest of the company?!
Now to the actual performance, I’d have to politely disagree with a few here, don’t get me wrong since both are technically strong dancers but I find both lacking in their acting ability, which is just as important in a story telling ballet. I thought Aran and Chloe wasn’t as connected they should have been. She was on and off looking at the audience vs engaging with him as if to strike a pose. Her long limbs help her extensions but some movements just looked overly done and not natural or fluid. Each moment became a photo op vs a meaningful moment to me.
It didn’t help that the tempo was so slow during their white swan variation I thought people around me were ready to snore! (A few elderly audience next to me looked like they nodded out)! Ormsby is so erratic with his tempos throughout the show that it was annoying here. Time for him to perhaps retire?
Chloe is a work-in-progress, especially with her acting skills, she has potential but I feel this promotion is a bit premature but I guess time will tell.
I hope to have a blog post up about yesterday’s matinee sometime today.
I hope to have a blog post up about yesterday’s matinee sometime today.
Oh Haglund, thank you for validating my feelings about Woolf Works. I went to see it on Thursday and couldn’t believe it was chosen for the already shortened ABT Met season (on top of another week being wasted on Like Water For Chocolate). The oohs and aahs from the audience contributed to the overall impression of the emperor’s new clothes.
Oh Haglund, thank you for validating my feelings about Woolf Works. I went to see it on Thursday and couldn’t believe it was chosen for the already shortened ABT Met season (on top of another week being wasted on Like Water For Chocolate). The oohs and aahs from the audience contributed to the overall impression of the emperor’s new clothes.
I don’t disagree about Chloe’s need to develop her acting skills – especially in contrast to the passionate portrayal that Gillian Murphy gave on Tuesday evening. But that should come in time. Bell, however, gave a touching performance. Of course, the way a dancer impacts an audience emotionally is a subjective matter.
I don’t disagree about Chloe’s need to develop her acting skills – especially in contrast to the passionate portrayal that Gillian Murphy gave on Tuesday evening. But that should come in time. Bell, however, gave a touching performance. Of course, the way a dancer impacts an audience emotionally is a subjective matter.
Bit late but as a New York to London transplant, when I saw Woolf Works at the Royal last year and walked out. It was shocking to me that it got such rave reviews in the press here in London which I think is due to two things:
1) lack of modern dance companies–while places like Sadler Wells put on modern dance sometimes there is no modern dance company in Europe that rivals ballet in the same way New York has Martha Graham, Taylor, Ailey, and the list goes on and on. So any time someone puts a ballet dancer on stage without shoes or choreographs a contraction, the press hypes it like the second coming of Isadora Duncan.
2) Very little new choreography comes out of Europe, so the press races about what little is produced to encourage it. The Royal was the only ballet company in Europe to really choreograph new works (like more than one a year), but with Liam Scarlett’s death and Wheeldon’s departure for Broadway and Hollywood, the pace has slowed significantly. McGregor is the only resident choreographer left and his ideas are so mind numbingly obvious like that insipid Olympics-inspired piece that had dancers miming sports…
Bit late but as a New York to London transplant, when I saw Woolf Works at the Royal last year and walked out. It was shocking to me that it got such rave reviews in the press here in London which I think is due to two things:
1) lack of modern dance companies–while places like Sadler Wells put on modern dance sometimes there is no modern dance company in Europe that rivals ballet in the same way New York has Martha Graham, Taylor, Ailey, and the list goes on and on. So any time someone puts a ballet dancer on stage without shoes or choreographs a contraction, the press hypes it like the second coming of Isadora Duncan.
2) Very little new choreography comes out of Europe, so the press races about what little is produced to encourage it. The Royal was the only ballet company in Europe to really choreograph new works (like more than one a year), but with Liam Scarlett’s death and Wheeldon’s departure for Broadway and Hollywood, the pace has slowed significantly. McGregor is the only resident choreographer left and his ideas are so mind numbingly obvious like that insipid Olympics-inspired piece that had dancers miming sports…
Akiko, thanks for the analysis of the popularity of WW in London. The production will draw people on this side of the pond who are absorbed by and impressed by technology and production elements that obscure low choreographic values, not to mention obscure the absence of ballet. The Met Opera has tried to move somewhat in that direction in recent years, but the operaphiles (who are a respected albeit rabid group) have been extremely harsh with their criticism.
Ballet and opera are going to have to figure out a way to interest new audiences in the traditional products rather than trying a reverse bait & switch strategy, i.e., bait with the trash and switch to the high quality. Not going to work.
Akiko, thanks for the analysis of the popularity of WW in London. The production will draw people on this side of the pond who are absorbed by and impressed by technology and production elements that obscure low choreographic values, not to mention obscure the absence of ballet. The Met Opera has tried to move somewhat in that direction in recent years, but the operaphiles (who are a respected albeit rabid group) have been extremely harsh with their criticism.
Ballet and opera are going to have to figure out a way to interest new audiences in the traditional products rather than trying a reverse bait & switch strategy, i.e., bait with the trash and switch to the high quality. Not going to work.
Hanglund, I wanted to know your thoughts on Like Water for Chocolate. I saw it last year and this year again and really liked it. Sure, it is not traditional ballet and there is some lighting and a ton of story telling and things that traditionalists do not like, but I can tell you that the audience for the most part loved it.
Hanglund, I wanted to know your thoughts on Like Water for Chocolate. I saw it last year and this year again and really liked it. Sure, it is not traditional ballet and there is some lighting and a ton of story telling and things that traditionalists do not like, but I can tell you that the audience for the most part loved it.
Jon Michael, the costumes, scenery and overall production elements were impressive. However, the choreography was quite limited, especially the various pas de deux between Tita and Pedro which looked just like every other pas de deux that the choreographer has created in the past 15 years. The music was dreadful, tedious, artificial–I would point to the music as the major failure that negatively impacted the choreography.
Jon Michael, the costumes, scenery and overall production elements were impressive. However, the choreography was quite limited, especially the various pas de deux between Tita and Pedro which looked just like every other pas de deux that the choreographer has created in the past 15 years. The music was dreadful, tedious, artificial–I would point to the music as the major failure that negatively impacted the choreography.