Each viewing of Lady of the Camellias increasingly reveals how much choreographer John Neumeier admired Kenneth MacMillan. This probably explains why the New York Times dance critics, led by the critic who would like to run MacMillan out of town, will not fairly and professionally review this production and the performances of the artists.
Last year Macaulay seemed to revel and grovel in the opportunity to piss and moan about the acrobatic PdDs which he, the ultimate defender of women's integrity when it suits his purpose, found "manipulative," "masochistic," and in a true example of his self-anointment as the high-priest of quality choreography, "not well choreographed." But this year, he's found an escape by jetting to Seattle to watch a new PNB production. Haglund saw a sometime-NYT dance critic wandering around at Lady of the Camellias, but doubts that she will have the courage to disagree with Macaulay's declarations of last year. We shall see. We can always hope for surprises.
Meanwhile, two fabulous performances of Lady of the Camellias played out at the Met Opera House on Saturday. The afternoon saw Marcelo Gomes as Armand, Diana Vishneva as Marguerite, Veronika Part as Manon, and Eric Tamm as De Grieux. The evening cast was Cory Stearns, Irina Dvorovenko, Stella Abrera, and Blaine Hoven.
As good as Vishneva was yesterday in portraying Marguerite, the entitled courtesan turned victim of consumption and her own bad decisions, the show was stolen by Gomes. He is this generation's Mukhamedov – a marvelous dancer and an intensely bold actor.
Just as Gomes' jet black, perfectly formed hair began to fall apart, so did Armand's life – so perfectly timed. By Act III, his hair was out of control, Armand's passion was out of control, and the lives of Marguerite and Armand were tumbling toward the story's sad conclusion.
Gomes excels in the modern variants of ballet technique that Neumeier uses in his ballet – classical feet and legs combined with severe upper torso and arm movements that at times looked Martha Graham-ish. It has been such a profound pleasure to watch Gomes these past fourteen years. Currently, he seems to be performing at simultaneous technical and dramatic pinnacles. Don't miss the opportunity to see him perform his role of Armand on Tuesday.
Vishneva in yesterday's performance was the perfect Marguerite to Gomes' Armand. As she sat on a comfy chair at the side of the stage at the beginning of Act I, the viewer already realized how rich and empty Marguerite's life had been up to then – like Manon's. And it would end the same way, only more sadly.
Veronika Part and Eric Tamm sometimes struggled through the complicated PdDs of Manon and Des Grieux, but their final PdT with Marguerite where she finally succumbed to Manon's fate was perfectly beautiful and actually had the power to finally silence the coughing in the audience.
Haglund cannot recall hearing so much discussion among audience members about the plot of a ballet. At the intermission, a group of women in their late sixties or older sat in their seats discussing the plot and reading the notes in the Playbill. "It is such a sad story – how she dies alone." No doubt, sensitivity to dying alone increases with age. On Haglund's other side, a man sat with his daughter who was about six years old and was attending her very first ballet. When she commented that Marguerite was sick and shouldn't be dancing, her father had to assure her that it was all part of the play. He then went out to the Grand Tier lobby and bought her a pair of Julie Kent's autographed pointe shoes which pretty much sealed the deal for the two of them to return again soon for another matinee.
The evening performance had an altogether different balance to it. Dvorovenko was the dominant performer as Marguerite but Stearns held his own as her youthful admirer, Armand. Stearns managed most if not all of the brutal, never-ending partnering very successfully, including the huge overhead lift in Act III. As with the other Armands, sometimes it required making a little noise to get Marguerite up and around and over, but thankfully none of the Armands uttered anything he shouldn't have on stage even though he may have been thinking it.
More than the other Marguerites, Dvorovenko conveyed the sickliness in her face in Act III. She is a healthy, robust, and vibrant individual, and making this transformation must have been a challenge. That said, when one observes how far Agnes Letestu took the transformation in the Paris Opera Ballet's filmed version of Neumeier's production, one can see that ABT's ballerinas need more courage to go further – especially Vishneva, who didn't seem to want to give up any of the lip paint and shadow.
Stella Abrera and Blaine Hoven were outstanding in their dancing and acting as Manon and Des Grieux. Hoven is so handsome and talented, twice the dancer of others higher-ranked, a super-strong partner and a developing actor. But for a wrist-flapping habit that can make his arm lines ballerina-ish, he has exactly what ABT needs in its leading men. He's been in friend-of-the-prince roles long enough, although it must be quickly added that his Benno in Swan Lake includes one of the biggest, kick-ass performances in the PdT with Abrera and Maria Riccetto that anyone has seen since Cornejo/Reyes/Cornejo. He and Abrera would definitely work as Siegfried and Odette – ABT should put that pairing in a Debut Subscription Package next year.
Abrera's portrayal of Manon last night was a heartbreaker. You loved her when she was selfish and imposing; you loved her when she was dying. Her duet with Dvorovenko in which she continually tried to pull Marguerite toward Manon's world was terrific. Her solo was spellbindingly beautiful.
Among other outstanding performances of the day: Carlos Lopez was Count N. at both performances and worked his eye spectacles and his character's clumsiness to great effect. Isaac Stappas and Grant DeLong gave fine performances as The Duke, but did we really have to see their bare butts at the end of Act II? The father of the six-year-old didn't think so, and neither did Haglund. What does it add besides controversy – certainly not any artistry. Roman Zhurbin and Vitali Krauchenka gave strong performances as Monsieur Duval who demands that Marguerite end her relationship with his son, Armand. FYI, the role of Monsieur Duval will be sung by the incredible Dmitri Hvorostovsky when he performs Germont in the Met's La Traviata next April. Not something to miss.
Even if you don't think that you will be overwhelmed by this Neumeier ballet, Haglund recommends making a trip to the Met just to hear the Chopin music played so lovingly by Koji Attwood, Nimrod Pfeffer, and Emily Wong. It is so worth it.
Saturday's Christian Louboutin rich, multi-colored Pump Bump Award must be bestowed upon Marcelo the Magnificent. We are so very lucky to have this artist with us.
20 responses to “ABT – Lady of the Camellias – 6/4 mat & eve”
Wow the Times review was even more snide than I anticipated. What a bunch of grumps (see also the needless skewering of Veronika Part by AM in another article). The production is great and I’m sorry they can’t bring themselves to enjoy something that isn’t Balanchine or Ratmansky related.
One wonders how they will deal with the impending Mariinsky season with Anna Karenina, since it follows a similar plot (interesting that the Times has suddenly decided that “misogyny” in ballet plots is an issue), has lots of dicey pas de deux and inherent tragedy, BUT was choreographed by Ratmansky? What to do, what to think?!
Wow the Times review was even more snide than I anticipated. What a bunch of grumps (see also the needless skewering of Veronika Part by AM in another article). The production is great and I’m sorry they can’t bring themselves to enjoy something that isn’t Balanchine or Ratmansky related.
One wonders how they will deal with the impending Mariinsky season with Anna Karenina, since it follows a similar plot (interesting that the Times has suddenly decided that “misogyny” in ballet plots is an issue), has lots of dicey pas de deux and inherent tragedy, BUT was choreographed by Ratmansky? What to do, what to think?!
Last April, Hee Seo revealed in her interview she was practicing Lady of the Camellias opposite Mr. Hallberg. Will see what AM will say when those two dance the lead roles – Hallberg saves Neumeier/MacMillan?
Last April, Hee Seo revealed in her interview she was practicing Lady of the Camellias opposite Mr. Hallberg. Will see what AM will say when those two dance the lead roles – Hallberg saves Neumeier/MacMillan?
Hi K and Kay! Thanks for the comments.
In a another article in the same issue, Macaulay wrote that you couldn’t “drag him back” to Camellias or Cinderella. It happens to be his job to write about dance on the major stages in New York – no matter how unqualified he is to do so. That Macaulay strongly prefers Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand to Neumeier’s Camellias and strongly prefers Ashton’s Cinderella to Kudelka’s Cinderella is beside the point. Does a NYT reporter who happens to be a Democrat get the opportunity to refuse an assignment to cover a story about a Republican just because he doesn’t agree with the guy’s politics? Oh wait, that’s exactly what the NYT is accused of doing all the time – not covering the news in a balanced way. Macaulay has just confirmed as true what everyone has been complaining about.
In the current production of Camellias, Hee Seo dances the role of Olympia. If she was rehearsing with Hallberg, it was most likely for the role of Manon which Murphy dances with him.
It is now crystal clear why Hallberg didn’t get the lead in Camellias. He would never in a million years have been able to do the lifting and partnering. He wasn’t too sharp in the partnering that he had with Murphy on the first night, although his solo work was incredibly beautiful.
It seems that McKenzie has been ushering Hee Seo around on the heels of Abrera, who also dances Manon, to install her in Stella’s roles and probably with the idea that if Hallberg has trouble lifting Murphy (he does) and can’t lift Stella (he can’t), maybe he can lift Hee. It appears that was clearly answered in the negative during Giselle.
Macaulay will find a way to deal in a complimentary way with the Mariinsky’s Anna Karenina. He scours the blogs and forums and lifts & twists language just enough to make it look like his own. I’m sure at some point soon we’ll see him or one of his minions make a comparison of Gomes to Mukhamedov in print – which I wrote about yesterday. The NYT servers have been sniffing around this blog quite a lot recently. I spoke with one of the writers on the forum Critical Dance who is extremely annoyed by the NYT writers’ proclivity for lifting material and original ideas right out of his forum posts for their articles. Chances are good that you’ll see some Critical Dance material in the NYT’s coverage of Anna Karenina.
Hi K and Kay! Thanks for the comments.
In a another article in the same issue, Macaulay wrote that you couldn’t “drag him back” to Camellias or Cinderella. It happens to be his job to write about dance on the major stages in New York – no matter how unqualified he is to do so. That Macaulay strongly prefers Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand to Neumeier’s Camellias and strongly prefers Ashton’s Cinderella to Kudelka’s Cinderella is beside the point. Does a NYT reporter who happens to be a Democrat get the opportunity to refuse an assignment to cover a story about a Republican just because he doesn’t agree with the guy’s politics? Oh wait, that’s exactly what the NYT is accused of doing all the time – not covering the news in a balanced way. Macaulay has just confirmed as true what everyone has been complaining about.
In the current production of Camellias, Hee Seo dances the role of Olympia. If she was rehearsing with Hallberg, it was most likely for the role of Manon which Murphy dances with him.
It is now crystal clear why Hallberg didn’t get the lead in Camellias. He would never in a million years have been able to do the lifting and partnering. He wasn’t too sharp in the partnering that he had with Murphy on the first night, although his solo work was incredibly beautiful.
It seems that McKenzie has been ushering Hee Seo around on the heels of Abrera, who also dances Manon, to install her in Stella’s roles and probably with the idea that if Hallberg has trouble lifting Murphy (he does) and can’t lift Stella (he can’t), maybe he can lift Hee. It appears that was clearly answered in the negative during Giselle.
Macaulay will find a way to deal in a complimentary way with the Mariinsky’s Anna Karenina. He scours the blogs and forums and lifts & twists language just enough to make it look like his own. I’m sure at some point soon we’ll see him or one of his minions make a comparison of Gomes to Mukhamedov in print – which I wrote about yesterday. The NYT servers have been sniffing around this blog quite a lot recently. I spoke with one of the writers on the forum Critical Dance who is extremely annoyed by the NYT writers’ proclivity for lifting material and original ideas right out of his forum posts for their articles. Chances are good that you’ll see some Critical Dance material in the NYT’s coverage of Anna Karenina.
Hi Haglund, Wish to clarify that Hee Seo specificially mentioned the role of Marguerite, not Olympia nor Manon, and her partner, at least in rehearsal, is Mr. Hallberg.
Hi Haglund, Wish to clarify that Hee Seo specificially mentioned the role of Marguerite, not Olympia nor Manon, and her partner, at least in rehearsal, is Mr. Hallberg.
Thanks for the clarification. I seriously doubt that we’ll see Hallberg in the role of Armand any time soon. He wouldn’t be able to get through the lifts in Act I let alone all three acts. It sounds like the rehearsal to which you referred might have been time better spent working on Giselle – at least this year, anyway.
Thanks for the clarification. I seriously doubt that we’ll see Hallberg in the role of Armand any time soon. He wouldn’t be able to get through the lifts in Act I let alone all three acts. It sounds like the rehearsal to which you referred might have been time better spent working on Giselle – at least this year, anyway.
Though I don’t want to be fussy on this, but, anyway, as I started this, wish to clarify further. Below is Ms. Seo’s answer to the question, “what is your dream role?”
“It’s the role of Marguerite in Lady of the Camellias. In the ABT, I’m currently learning it opposite Mr. Hallberg, though I’m not sure when I can actually dance it.”
I don’t think they will perform it soon, and seriously doubt Ms. Seo and Mr. Hallberg fit each role, in terms of technique as well as acting. Just simply, AM’s aggressiveness to this my beloved production, made me cynically wait for their performance, just to see his reaction.
Though I don’t want to be fussy on this, but, anyway, as I started this, wish to clarify further. Below is Ms. Seo’s answer to the question, “what is your dream role?”
“It’s the role of Marguerite in Lady of the Camellias. In the ABT, I’m currently learning it opposite Mr. Hallberg, though I’m not sure when I can actually dance it.”
I don’t think they will perform it soon, and seriously doubt Ms. Seo and Mr. Hallberg fit each role, in terms of technique as well as acting. Just simply, AM’s aggressiveness to this my beloved production, made me cynically wait for their performance, just to see his reaction.
Hi Kay. Macaulay’s PATHOLOGICAL problem with the production is that it’s NOT Ashton’s version of the same story and that it does in strong ways resemble MacMillan’s usage of theater and partnering technique. He would have to eat a lot of crow in order to write positively about it even with a Seo/Hallberg pairing. He’d probably pass on the “opportunity” and assign it to one of his minions – like he did this time and will probably also do for Kudelka’s Cinderella.
Hi Kay. Macaulay’s PATHOLOGICAL problem with the production is that it’s NOT Ashton’s version of the same story and that it does in strong ways resemble MacMillan’s usage of theater and partnering technique. He would have to eat a lot of crow in order to write positively about it even with a Seo/Hallberg pairing. He’d probably pass on the “opportunity” and assign it to one of his minions – like he did this time and will probably also do for Kudelka’s Cinderella.
I greatly enjoyed this ballet. More than anything, it was a reminder to me that the art form is still alive–even though recent “thinkers” have declared it dead. I’m sorry that MaCaulay doesn’t like it. Sometimes I think he has interesting things to say about dance–and other times, well, I just feel sorry for him. I’m sorry he was unable to enjoy this production at all. And very sorry he was unable to support it.
I do find it very telling that the one piece he hasn’t really reviewed this season (or commented on), is the one Tudor piece that was revived. And that’s because he knows everyone didn’t like it (well, I liked it. But that’s another story).
As for taking your stories–you of course know by now, Haglund, that the lead dance story is about ABT’s over-reliance on guest artists. Now, who has been concerned about this over the course of the last few weeks?
Also in the news–Isabella Boylston’s promotion. Wonderful for her. It’s odd timing though. Usually promotions occur after a season has ended.
It makes me suspect that something is up.
I greatly enjoyed this ballet. More than anything, it was a reminder to me that the art form is still alive–even though recent “thinkers” have declared it dead. I’m sorry that MaCaulay doesn’t like it. Sometimes I think he has interesting things to say about dance–and other times, well, I just feel sorry for him. I’m sorry he was unable to enjoy this production at all. And very sorry he was unable to support it.
I do find it very telling that the one piece he hasn’t really reviewed this season (or commented on), is the one Tudor piece that was revived. And that’s because he knows everyone didn’t like it (well, I liked it. But that’s another story).
As for taking your stories–you of course know by now, Haglund, that the lead dance story is about ABT’s over-reliance on guest artists. Now, who has been concerned about this over the course of the last few weeks?
Also in the news–Isabella Boylston’s promotion. Wonderful for her. It’s odd timing though. Usually promotions occur after a season has ended.
It makes me suspect that something is up.
Hi, BananaFeet!
No question Isabella is deserving of the promotion, but as you pointed out, the timing is odd. Maybe “what’s up” is that company morale isn’t as “up” as it should be with nearly five weeks of the season left. If they really wanted to brighten everyone’s mood with a promotion, they should elevate one or two deserving women to principal – oh, what’s the use.
Hi, BananaFeet!
No question Isabella is deserving of the promotion, but as you pointed out, the timing is odd. Maybe “what’s up” is that company morale isn’t as “up” as it should be with nearly five weeks of the season left. If they really wanted to brighten everyone’s mood with a promotion, they should elevate one or two deserving women to principal – oh, what’s the use.
I imagine there are budgetary restrictions on becoming a principal–unless one has a powerful patron who can expedite matters (how 19th century is this talk of patrons).
There was of course room for a Soloist as Cory Stearns was promoted. I just wonder if he was promoted to fill Carreno’s spot? Or is another departure imminent?
I imagine there are budgetary restrictions on becoming a principal–unless one has a powerful patron who can expedite matters (how 19th century is this talk of patrons).
There was of course room for a Soloist as Cory Stearns was promoted. I just wonder if he was promoted to fill Carreno’s spot? Or is another departure imminent?