Twice 2nite/
the message came./
Sleeping and waking,/
the answer’s the same:/
Some1 with whom 2b/
enthusiastically/
passionate/
who can give it back!

While I’ve still got three more shows before the season’s entirely over, I feel confident that I can now get the “what was the best” posts out of the way (complete list of shows here, grand total estimated to be 116). Best dance, best musical/drama are my categories, as well as a few special celebrations and a shaming here and there. Read on …

Discovery of the year: the Southwark Playhouse. A Midsummer Night’s Dream at this small and atmospheric venue blew me away; the shows I’ve seen since have been of mixed quality (the recent and continuing Christmas Carol was a treat to be sure) but never made me feel financially cheated. Generally worth going to “just for the heck of it.” Now, mind you, Royal Court has been crowned “The New Donmar” (affordable prices, adventurous programming) and I’m planning on buying something akin to the entire spring season there, but it was hardly a discovery; it just became noticeable for its greatness this year.

Overdone gimmick of the year: “event” theater with movie or TV celebrities. Please, let’s have less of the classics being butchered by people who can’t act at extravagant prices. I realize this is probably singlehandedly responsible for the fantastic income London theater is experiencing this year, but good theater is not just about filling seats. I feel like seeing Jude Law/David Tennant/Keira Knightly on stage gets people to go just so they can say “ooh ah I was in the same room as INSERT NAME HERE” and does little to encourage the creation of good shows. The Donmar deserves an especial drubbing for going so mad for celebrity casting in their West End season – and what a horrible mistake to waste Judi Dench in that Mishima dog they put on.

Dance performance of the year: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s “E=MC2” (full discussion here) I saw the Royal Ballet many times this year and they just weren’t doing anything this exciting – not really helping the cause of getting ballet into the 21st century and recruiting new audiences so much as sticking with tried and tried and tried and true (“Mayerling” twice in two years, please!). I also give BRB points for “best new story ballet of the year” even though I don’t think Cyrano was new and I don’t think I saw any other new story ballet this year (even though I do try to go see them when I can – well, okay, there was the Wuthering Heights ballet but it seemed more like a thought than a story).

Painful lesson of the year: modern opera, I really shouldn’t bother. Die Tote Stadt, Into the Little Hill, Grand Macabre; I really want to support new opera but unfortunately I think it’s almost entirely unmusical, like it’s designed by academics to adhere to certain structures and generally not to be musical in any way.

Musical of the year: the nominees were: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical*; Company; Forbidden Broadway; (the all male) Pirates of Penzance; Silence the Musical. After tossing and turning, debating the hysterical brilliance of Silence (full of hummable, if utterly rude, tunes) and the extravagant, seedy intensity of Pirates, I’ve decided the award goes to … Pirates, which made an arthritic script come to life in a way I truly did not think possible. Rumor has it it’s going to be reprised at Wilton’s Music Hall this spring, though unfortunately I can’t find any information about it on their calendar. That said, Silence: the Musical is going to be done again at the Above the Stag theater – don’t miss out as there’s really little reason for it to be staged again so soon and it really is a hoot.

Best theater blog: I’m not going to list the ones I read (mostly because it’s a short list), but once again the West End Whingers have proven to have the blog that gets me the right hot tips on what shows to see. Sometimes it was a show I’d unimaginatively rejected; sometimes it’s a show I never heard of; almost always it was a show that was on the verge of becoming unattainable. It’s even better now that they have a Twitter feed: getting a line from them to “buy your tickets for Jerusalem now” will send me immediately to my computer. Every now and then we utterly disagree on a show; but mostly they are like having my own private theatrical pimp. I like that.

Show of the year: the nominees were: Entertaining Mr Sloane; Kursk; The Mountaintop; Enron; Cock. (Note absolutely nothing from the Donmar this year, for shame). In a year in which great shows were thin on the ground in comparison to the volume of productions being cranked out, this wasn’t nearly as competitive as I was hoping it would be. Still, I’ve weighed the best of the year (that I saw), and it’s clear: not only as best production but also as best script, Mike Bartlett’s Cock blew me away. Each performance was perfect; the close confines made it all that more intense; the words were exactly what they should be. It’s a damned shame it sold out so fast, but such good theater should never experience a single unoccupied seat for even one night. I can’t imagine it being remounted elsewhere without watering down the impact of seeing this in the round in a tiny (80 person?) house, but this was really just a tiny drop of perfection in a year that was otherwise a bit of a desert.

Right, that’s it for me: 116 shows in one year was probably about thirty more than I should have seen. I don’t even think I’m capable of remembering who the best actor and actress even were anymore. Next year, I’m hanging up my hat and taking it easy; I want 2010 to be a year when I see less shows and more that I like. This will require waiting until the reviews come in so I can more easily identify the productions that will suit me, and might mean that I miss a few that sharper people snapped up sooner – but I think it’s probably the way to go. Even sticking to a budget like I try to do, this year was taxing on my wallet as well as my sleep schedule. See you in the second balcony …

*Actually, Priscilla was never a contender for me. I just put it in there because it seemed like it should have been, especially given how expensive it was.

“And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb ‘to love.’ A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee’s brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover’s lip: ‘Forever.’” – Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 3

“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”  ~Albert Einstein

“A kiss without a hug is like a flower without the fragrance.”  ~Proverb

“She kissed me, and my mouth wrote a poem of welcome to her lips.”  ~Ward Elliot Hour

“A man’s kiss is his signature.”  ~Mae West

Buonanotte a Salvatore che domani ci rappresenta in consiglio comunale.

Buonanotte ad Angelo e il nocino.

Buonanotte a Raffaele e i suoi 14 anni.

Buonanotte a Beppe e alla sua passione politica.

Buonanotte Compagni

Jef Cassiers (Antwerpen, 10 juli 1929 – aldaar, 1 juni 1987) was een Vlaams acteur, komiek en filmregisseur, vooral bekend als de Alverman in ‘Johan en de Alverman’.
Cassiers groeide op in de Antwerpse wijk Seefhoek en kreeg bekendheid na de Tweede Wereldoorlog als deel van het komisch duo ‘De Woodpeckers’ waarvan zijn broer Cois ook deel van uitmaakte. ‘De Woodpeckers’ werden vaste gasten in de ‘Cyrano’ van Anton Peters. Jef speelde eind jaren 1950 mee in een reeks Vlaamse komische speelfilms waarin ook Gaston Berghmans optrad. Tussen 1961 en 1963 was hij dagelijks op de BRT te zien in een reeks slapsticks als ‘Het Manneke’. Het Manneke groeide uit tot een zeer populaire item. Toen een producer van de BRT zonder Cassiers’ medeweten de auteursrechten ervan aan een Amerikaanse televisieketen verkocht kwam hij in financiële moeilijkheden. Hij kwam er financieel weer bovenop toen hij in de Vlaamse jeugdreeks Johan en de Alverman (1965) de rol van de Alverman voor zijn rekening nam. De rol was oorspronkelijk bedoeld voor Luc Philips. Maar omdat die bezet was ging de rol uiteindelijk naar Cassiers. De rol was een stevige come-back voor hem en werd, naast De Woodpeckers en Het Manneke, het derde grote succes in zijn carrière. Later speelde hij ook nog Blabber de spion in de televisieserie Midas (1967). In de jaren ‘70 werkte hij als producer bij de toenmalige BRT. Samen met Etienne Wijnants maakte hij programma’s voor de Dienst Amusement. Bekend van hem zijn specials met artiesten als Liesbeth List en Hildegard Knef in een zeer verzorgde, enigszins overesthetiserende stijl. Hij regisseerde tevens het jeugdfeuilleton Xenon (1984). In 1984 regisseerde hij de eerste Vlaamse tekenfilm: Jan zonder Vrees. Cassiers overwon een alcoholverslaving maar overleed in 1987 aan kanker. Kort daarvoor had hij nog samen met zijn zoon Guy Cassiers opgetreden in een bewerking van ‘The Birthday Party’ van Harold Pinter. In 2005 eindigde hij op nr. 223 in de Vlaamse versie van De Grootste Belg, buiten de officiële nominatielijst.

Informatie over Jef Cassiers gevonden via wikipedia.

Cyrano
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Londres, Sadler’s Wells Theatre
14 novembre 2009

Le Birmingham Royal Ballet est aujourd’hui, avec le Royal Ballet et l’English National Ballet, basés à Londres, l’une des trois principales compagnies de ballet classique au Royaume-Uni. Dirigée depuis 1995 par David Bintley, qui y officie également en tant que chorégraphe, la troupe est forte d’un effectif d’une soixantaine de danseurs, parmi lesquels figurent plusieurs solistes remarquables, à la tête d’un corps de ballet très solide et uni. Son répertoire compte par ailleurs, à côté des grands classiques que chaque troupe de ce type se targue de pouvoir représenter, un certain nombre de créations entrant dans le large champ de ce qu’on appellera, pour faire court, l’esthétique “néo-classique”, pourvue ici de sa couleur anglaise propre, restée souvent proche du drame et du divertissement théâtral.

A l’occasion d’une tournée automnale au Sadler’s Wells, à Londres, le Birmingham Royal Ballet présente deux programmes illustrant sa politique actuelle de création, rendue possible par la générosité d’un public auquel la compagnie n’hésite apparemment pas à faire appel pour ses projets : le premier, Quantum Leaps, est composé de trois pièces lorgnant vers l’abstraction, le second, en contrepoint évident, met à l’affiche Cyrano, un “full-length ballet” dans la plus pure tradition du ballet narratif, créé en 2007 par David Bintley pour la compagnie qu’il dirige, sur une composition musicale inédite de Carl Davis.

On pourrait légitimement, tout particulièrement de ce côté-ci de la Manche, juger incongrue l’adaptation au genre chorégraphique, genre non-verbal par essence et par destin, du Cyrano de Bergerac d’Edmond Rostand, pièce à la réputation universelle qui, au-delà de son caractère spectaculaire hérité du drame romantique, ne parle que de mots et de l’amour de la langue – notre langue. Comment en effet convertir dans le langage chorégraphique ce mythe français, composé de morceaux de bravoure fameux, cet écrin formidable offert à la voix de l’acteur, sinon par une autre forme de virtuosité, celle de la danse, qui restera toujours en-deçà de la littérature et du théâtre, en termes de richesse expressive et analytique?…

On ne s’interrogera pas plus avant sur la pertinence du projet, l’oeuvre chorégraphique existe et est à considérer comme telle, en marge de son ascendance théâtrale illustre, et non comme une substitution possible à celle-ci. Si comparaison n’est pas raison, pour éclairer le propos, il en est un peu – en termes d’obstacles à surmonter et de résultat formel – de ce Cyrano mis sur pointes comme du ballet de José Martinez, Les Enfants du Paradis, adapté lui aussi d’un autre “monument” – cinématographique celui-là. La troupe du Birmingham Royal Ballet n’est certes pas l’Opéra de Paris, au moins en termes d’effectifs, mais les moyens mis en oeuvre dans les deux cas pour fabriquer un spectacle ouvert à un large public, raffiné en même temps que lisible, pourvu d’une scénographie attractive et accommodé d’une musique cousue main et au service de l’action, sont en tout cas assez semblables. Le parallèle ne s’arrête pas du reste à la forme extérieure : le goût réitéré et plaisant pour la parodie et le second degré, la fascination pour le principe du théâtre dans le théâtre, ainsi que la marque des grandes influences chorégraphiques du passé, qu’on peut lire au travers de l’adaptation que nous offre David Bintley, sont aussi là pour nous rappeler l’attraction irrésistible des modèles établis et la difficulté qu’il y a aujourd’hui à faire oeuvre de créateur à part entière.

Envisagé pour lui-même, le ballet se révèle un modèle de construction narrative et de théâtralité, qui témoigne de surcroît d’une très fine compréhension du mélange des genres et des registres caractéristique du drame romantique français. Le rideau est déjà levé, lorsque le public pénètre dans la salle, sur la scène inaugurale représentant l’Hôtel de Bourgogne, autour duquel s’agitent comédiens, spectateurs et bretteurs en tous genres. Cyrano, Christian, Roxane, De Guiche et les cadets de Gascogne, tous nos héros sont là, infiniment proches, et c’est d’emblée que le drame se noue, la pirouette agile et l’épée à la main, au pied des tréteaux où se produit l’acteur Montfleury. L’ensemble de l’ouvrage se veut ainsi d’une fidélité scrupuleuse à ses sources, dans son découpage et ses différents tableaux, jusqu’au dénouement, plus épuré et symbolique sur le plan scénographique que le reste du ballet, mais traduisant sans débordement ni pompe le temps qui passe, la souffrance et la mort qui imprègnent l’atmosphère du dernier acte.

Par-delà sa littéralité scénographique et narrative, le ballet de David Bintley parvient à trouver sa marque personnelle dans un maniement habile et constant de l’humour et des références chorégraphiques réutilisées au second degré, en contrepoint de la mise en place de l’action. Le restaurant de Ragueneau devient ainsi prétexte à une variation hilarante sur le thème de l’Adage à la Rose, où, dans un grand moment de virtuosité, baguettes, croissants ou tartes viennent s’exposer en lieu et place des fleurs offertes à l’héroïne du ballet de Petipa. De même, les amours de Roxane et de Christian sont réécrites à travers le filtre de la scène du Balcon de Roméo et Juliette, qui inspire encore le personnage bouffon du Capucin – Frère Laurent de comédie -, tandis que l’ultime pas de deux entre Cyrano et Roxane – celui qui vient conclure le drame – n’est pas sans rappeler l’Onéguine de Cranko, dans ses accents les plus tragiques. L’anachronisme souriant est quant à lui exposé avec gourmandise par mille et un détails cocasses qui viennent épicer le spectacle : l’acteur Montfleury apparaît dans le costume de Louis XIV en Roi-Soleil, la maison de Roxane a des allures de manoir victorien, tandis qu’un réverbère londonien – et très peu “Grand Siècle” – occupe le centre du dernier tableau, sombre et dénudé, comme pour suggérer le passage du temps et le changement de registre. Plus subtile, une digression incongrue au sein de la narration, sur un mode “science-fictionnel”, vient nous suggérer avec un clin d’oeil amusé que le vrai Cyrano de Bergerac fut l’auteur d’une Histoire comique des états et empires de la lune et du soleil…

Pour le reste, le ballet demeure, faut-il le préciser, un cadeau inouï fait par David Bintley à sa compagnie et plus particulièrement à ses solistes. Si, au final, il n’exploite que de manière assez conventionnelle, pour une oeuvre “de cape et d’épée”, les talents d’un corps de ballet (ici essentiellement composé de garçons) qui se montre au demeurant extrêmement vivant et discipliné dans les nombreuses scènes de combat, les solistes masculins de la troupe trouvent là un ouvrage chorégraphique apte à mettre en valeur leurs qualités dramatiques en même temps que leur virtuosité technique. Le rôle de Cyrano, créé à l’origine pour Robert Parker (qui le reprend à l’occasion de cette tournée londonienne), est tenu lors de la matinée du 14 novembre par le premier soliste Alexander Campbell qui y a fait ses débuts très récemment, tout comme Joseph Caley, l’interprète du rôle de Christian (pas plus tard qu’en octobre dernier, au Birmingham Hippodrome, où se produit régulièrement la compagnie). Son personnage, étrangement assez juvénile pour nos yeux de spectateurs de théâtre coutumiers de la pièce de Rostand, se situe peut-être davantage dans une forme d’ironie et d’”understatement” anglais que dans la gouaille et la verve fanfaronne à la française, plus directe, mais c’est toutefois dans sa confrontation avec le bellâtre Christian de Neuvillette que le personnage parvient véritablement à prendre son envol et à trouver toute son amplitude scénique et théâtrale. On ne sait si cette paire a été créée dans cette perspective spécifique, mais autant Cyrano est léger, virevoltant, virtuose – dans son mime comme dans sa danse – et, au fond, séduisant, malgré son célèbre appendice trop encombrant, autant Christian se révèle ici gauche, maladroit, lourd, affreusement niais, à force de spontanéité, malgré son faciès d’amoureux de théâtre, supposé charmant. La scène, très finement chorégraphiée et mise en scène, où Christian le malhabile feint de clamer de lui-même son amour à Roxane, tandis que Cyrano, caché, lui souffle, à coup de pantomime mélodramatique, les mots éloquents qui sauront la toucher est exemplaire de cette opposition symbolique, parfaitement incarnée par les deux artistes distribués conjointement. Roxane quant à elle est idéalement interprétée par Ambra Vallo, d’une vivacité et d’une grâce délicieuses dans toute la partie “solaire” du ballet, avant de se métamorphoser en une touchante et sombre héroïne de drame. Sa danse sait être délicatement musicale et les duos d’amour aux accents chorégraphiques macmillaniens – jusque dans les portés insolites et périlleux – sont de même assurés avec beaucoup d’aisance et de fluidité. Durant la scène du Siège d’Arras, vêtue en soldat, sa danse extrêmement féminine se fait au contraire virile, pleine d’ardeur, exprimant la puissance et la bravoure suggérées par une chorégraphie menée tambour-battant par l’ensemble des solistes et du corps de ballet. On mentionnera enfin dans les rôles secondaires, mais nullement anecdotiques, de Ragueneau et de Le Bret, les excellents James Barton et Kosuke Yamamoto. De manière plus générale, on ne peut qu’être séduit par la force théâtrale qui innerve l’ensemble du ballet : sens des emplois propres à chacun, richesse dramatique offerte par de nombreux rôles, au-delà des seuls héros, respect d’une certaine harmonie dans la manière de donner vie aux relations entre les divers protagonistes, absence de débordement “technologique” trivial au détriment du théâtre, roi de la fête dans son union réussie avec la danse.

Dans une France où la création chorégraphique peine bien souvent non seulement à faire sourire, mais aussi, tout simplement, à emporter, nul doute qu’on aimerait voir le ballet de cape et d’épée de David Bintley, si merveilleusement efficace, franchir la Manche et revenir jusqu’à ses sources!…

La critique complète sur Dansomanie

]]> http://southwerk.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/what-moral-stance/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:24:30 +0000 southwerk http://southwerk.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/what-moral-stance/

As I discuss the ethical implications of various business practices, I am troubled by the multiple possibilities of moral stances. Catholic Social Doctrine, Protestant Social Doctrine, the Southern Baptists’ total absence of any moral doctrine in regard to the business expressed as free market absolutism, Plato and Aristotles advocacy of the good life, the life examined and well lived, Kant’s categorical imperative, Friedman’s thinly veiled advocacy of Friedrich Nietzsche Superman, (the moral and ethical are weaklings who place limits on the “real” achievers because otherwise they couldn’t cut it); what do you advocate when examining the strange conduct of American business?

I will search for the best options, but it is not going to be easy. But doesn’t that fit with so much else?

The fight for justice, truth and honor is never won. The forces of evil rise again and again. There is no golden stake you can thrust into their heart to stop their depradations on the poor and helpless, their use of the levers of power to enrich themselves when they have contributed nothing and worst of all their continued recruitment of the young an a half wit philosophy of joining a group of “special” people, achievors, the real makers and shakers, an Ayn Rand doctrine that makes you special without any accomplishment or achievement save a twisted belief.

What is there but to fight, to struggle. Hear the words of Cyrano de Bergerac
in the last act of the play.

(He raises his sword):
What say you?  It is useless?  Ay, I know
But who fights ever hoping for success?
I fought for lost cause, and for fruitless quest!
You there, who are you!–You are thousands!
Ah!
I know you now, old enemies of mine!
Falsehood!
(He strikes in air with his sword):
Have at you!  Ha! and Compromise!
Prejudice, Treachery!. . .
(He strikes):
Surrender, I?
Parley?  No, never!  You too, Folly,–you?
I know that you will lay me low at last;
Let be!  Yet I fall fighting, fighting still!

Let us fall knowing that we acted with honor. Let us die with a curse on our lips for the sanctimonious, pompous evil doers among us. Let us die well.

BPA and Rock the Dub present J Slikk’s third entry into the Drum Major series featuring songs from R.O.E., Junclassic, (the artist formally known as) Cyrano and more over his production. Additionally, the compilation includes remixes of well-known songs with J Slikk beats.

Tracklist x Download Link after the jump

1. Intro
2. Rashid Hadee – Get Mine
3. R.O.E. – Can’t Help Myself
4. Cy Yung – Dreamcatcher Revisisted
5. Erykah Badu – Honey (J. Slikk Remix)
6. Common – The Light (J. Slikk Remix)
7. Indy Sparks – Vibe
8. Rukus – Cocky
9. R.A.C.E. (of the Primeridian) – The Prescription
10. Asylum 7 – The Real
11. Junclassic featuring Cy Yung – The Ooh Aah
12. Katy Perry featuring Cy Yung – I Kissed a Girl (J. Slikk Remix)
13. The Black Sunn- Black Gangsta
14. Junclassic – Cruising
15. Rukus featuring Soulbrotha – Slow it Down
16. Erykah Badu – Real Thing (J. Slikk Remix)
17. Cy Yung featuring the Primeridian – CeleBROtee
18. Logic Marsalis – Dopesicklove
19. Junclassic – Heard em Say
20. Kanye West, Nas, KRS 1, Rakim – Classic (J. Slikk Remix)
21. Chapter 13 – Watchin my Moves (J. Slikk Remix)
22. Oscah – Slow Motion
23. Cy Yung – Devil’s Pie II (unreleased snippet)
24. Junclassic – The Basics
25. Logic Marselis – Powermoves
26. R.O.E. featuring Cy Yung – Once Again
27. Little Brother – Life of the Party (J. Slikk Remix)
28. Indy Sparks – A Great Day
29. Cy Yung – Killa B
30. R.O.E. – Return of the Soulstar (intro)
31. Cy Yung – Da Hollywood Shuffle
32. Kanye West – Love Lockdown (J. Slikk Remix)

Download: The Drum Major III

Ballet five times in eight days? Why not, I say, why not? And with the highly touted presentation of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s newly choreographed “E=MC2″ (in their “Quantum Leaps” program) and the opportunity to see a fancy (and usually expensive) story ballet from the Opera House stalls for 60 quid (Sleeping Beauty), how could I say no? Then, well, new Macgregor at the Royal Ballet, and a new(ish) story ballet (Cyrano), and, er, a commitment to see the Royal Ballet’s mixed bill program twice, and hey! It could happen to anyone, really.

First, the Agon/Sphinx/Limen triple bill, which I saw twice (Friday November 13th, cast list here, and Tuesday, November 17th,
cast list here). “Agon” reminded me how very difficult Balanchine really is – but only the second time I saw it, when the male dancers failed to hit the right sense of unity, I twice saw people adjust themselves after failing to hit their mark, and the whole thing generally smelt like “work” instead of “dance.” The long duet toward the end was particularly different; whereas on Friday, Acosta seemed somewhat bored and workmanlike as he manipulated his partner through a series of movements (including a “drunk ballerina” sequence in which she keeps falling into the splits and being lifted up again), the same duet seemed forced and uncomfortable Tuesday, as if the dancers hadn’t done it enough to forget about what they were doing and just do it. I felt every technical detail of how to make a catch and how to do a turn was exposed to the naked eye, and I didn’t like it.

On Friday, I got caught up in the weirdness of the extremely late 1950s Stravinsky music and the great deep drums (and – was that xylophones?), though I wasn’t entirely able to get caught up in the experience of the dance due to the off-putting nature of my far right seats (cutting off a quarter of the stage). Still, in retrospect, I realize Friday’s cast was pretty well hitting the mark, though in general I think Pacific Northwest Ballet does this dance better.

“Sphinx” … well. Much as “Agon” was as purely late 1950s as Peggy Guggenheim’s house, “Sphinx” was totally late 70s. The costumes were Tron meets Stargate with some headbands thrown in for good measure, and … God, I saw it twice, and I just found it the most unspeakably pretentious thing I’ve seen since the horrid “Pierrot Lunaire“. There’s a bit where “Anubis” is dancing in circles around “The Sphinx” and “Oedipus,” and I just thought … why why why? Who cares about what they’re doing? Why are they acting like they’re performing in a silent movie? Why does he keep balancing her on his shoulder when it’s so clearly a wiggly place to sit? When is there going to be some dancing that actually matters? Why was this revived at all? The music wasn’t bad but … never again.

Finally, Wayne Macgregor’s new ballet, “Limen,” my last and best hope for great new ballet of the year and the reason why I was at this program twice.

Well. I’m sorry to say, but it looks like David Bintley, about whom I knew almost nothing before this week, has utterly stolen the hot ballet trophy away from Wayne this year. (Let’s be clear: much like the search for the world’s best gelato, the search for the hot ballet of the year is one in which the searcher will always win. Still, I was surprised.) Wayne gave us … er, boxes and lines on the floor, and a cool projection, and good music … but the dance was … kinda out of the same box of stuff he usually uses, the great extensions, the butts sticking out, but without the cool “breaking the boundaries” moves he’s thrown in to spice it up. In fact, with almost no partnering in this ballet, it just felt a wee bit sterile.

Except, of course, for the utterly gorgeous middle bit in which a man and a woman did the most amazing work. Both times I saw the same cast, he black and she white, looking like yin and yang together … the movement utterly enchanting, in some ways almost a response to the Balanchine that opened the evening, making the manipulations worked on the ballerina earlier seem so heavy and coarse … now delicate, lifting, bending, flowing, working together as one, his strength, her grace and flexibility … perfect.

And then it was time for the big black wall with the winking blue lightbulbs to show up and end the dance, and I found myself thinking, “E=MC2 was it, I’m so glad I went, I wish I’d seen it twice”, and bam, the end of the night, the end of the ballet year, let down but glad I’d hedged my bets and run off to see BRB earlier in the week.

The day before my second viewing of the mixed bill I went to see Sleeping Beauty, and I really am just not going to be able to say too much about it as, well, it was dry. I realize this production is some kind of touchstone for the British ballet public but for me I about choked on the dust rolling off of the sets and costumes, which reminded me of some little girl’s room in her grandmother’s house, circa 1950, pastel green on pastel pink on pastel purple BAH. The ballet itself has almost no plot and is just really a set piece for some tricksy dance moves, so if you want emotion and not canned Petipa “let’s show of the technique of the dancers,” then it’s going to be Cyrano for you. Admittedly, even the New York Times’ reviewer criticized Tamara Rojo for her rather stiff Aurora, and perhaps this was part of the problem; I could go “ooh, she stayed on that balance almost until infinity,” but I didn’t really care. It was just like watching … the circus or something. I wanted to be involved, like the way I am when my heart breaks for Giselle, but I wasn’t.

Anyway, in the dances of the various fairies in the prologue, I did get quite a kick out of the technical prowess and charm of Sian Murphy as the “Fairy of the Woodland Glade” (she stands en pointe with her supporting leg slightly bent and does two kicks in front, then pulls up into an arabesque – did I get the fairy right?) – as well as the lightfooted (and charismatic) Iohna Loots as “Fairy of the Song Bird,” and of course I liked the bit with Puss & Boots, and the Big Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood, and of course (I must say!) the Bluebird pas de deux in the final act … but the damned “vision” scene in the second act was just SO LONG I was running out of energy to be there any more. AAARGH. And I didn’t enjoy the dancing in that scene, either. I mean, I saw this ballet done by Pacific Northwest Ballet the year they debuted it, I didn’t enjoy it then, and still I went back. It’s like I don’t learn. It’s still the same ballet. I might just need to see it with a different ballerina in the lead, though as expensive as story ballets are at Royal Ballet it’s unlikely I’ll go back to see this in less than five years. The fact remains that it needs to be massively freshened up and redone for the 21st century instead of being such a museum piece.

Ah well, but if you look at the net result, of five nights of ballet, I did get something to enjoy every night – but for this round, it was Birmingham Royal Ballet that I enjoyed more, and ultimately David Bintley’s choreography that cranked my chain. I can’t wait to see what 2010 will have to offer!

We had a semi-impromptu birthday party for my friend, Mee-shell! last night… after Awana…

So it pretty much didn’t start even until 10:00…

Oh, what delight… Parties… of the night!  =)

Anyway, “I-Zeck” actually MADE A CAKE!? =)

He ate more than anybody else and ended up quite the energetic young man by about 11:00…

Mr. A’s been reading Revelation and had some interesting stuff to say about Jesus’ righteousness and evil-doers drinking blood.

Something else he read made me think of this Michael Card song:

“Just and true are Your ways,
King of Ages
So great and marvelous are all Your deeds
Oh Lord God Almighty, who will not fear You
And bring the glory to Your Name.” -Song of the Lamb.

We sang “happy birth-minute” to the birthday girl on her birth minute! =)

(We even factored in daylight savings time. =)  She’s a Texan. =)

Mi brothre… played some ridiculously catchy Indian music-video on his blackberry, where people danced as if they were driving a pick-up truck and trying to rope a cow…

And a while later we…

had another King-Soopers adventure!

Consisting of:

-A rather loud discourse on the economics regarding the Eggo waffle shortage, while on the scenic route to the frozen pizzas.

-Movie recommendations…

-The Great Chocolate Milk dilema!
(“Only Viva?!”  “No -no Store brand beautiful-ish-ness?”)

-A deduction that Yosh’s grandmother is the ONLY known grandmother in the whole world who made a special phone-call to implore her grandson to stock up on all the canned pumpkin he would need for the holidays, due to the impending “no more pumpkin mush for the next few months!!!” crisis.

-All topped-off with a birthday ride on a penny horse named Biscuit.
(It took forever! lol… like 5 minutes.
She turned so red.
Mi hermano: “Look, she matches the Red-box.”)

We all then piled back into my refrigerator of a car!  and returned to watch Cyrano de Bergerac! while I used an oven stone for the first time ever! =) to cook the pizzas.

Cyrano de Bergerac… quite an intriguing story… pretty good movie too… I’ve been hearing nonsensical French babblings in my head ever since.

Moi teh peh jzu… sah la mon clah per see… te fwi.

???

(What was the last word of the whole film you ask?  “…Panache.”)

Ok, so maybe you didn’t ask… but I just had to tell you.

Aaaand… this morning I woke to my roommate yelling at, and chastising, one of my horribly mischievous cats!

Now my toes are cold… and I have the rest of a Tuesday for God to tell me what to do. =)

What a grand life! =)

All this before the winter-of-the-week, known as “work” sets in.  And yet, there are benefits to winter…

Winter causes one to sit back a bit -to stay in one place more often… to focus.

Such does my work.

Au revoir et adieu! mis amis!

-MAC <>< =)

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.  For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

For a while we have been meaning to write something here about “ballet myth busters”, to address certain preconceptions about this art form often seen as inaccessible, stuffy and niche. David Bintley’s Cyrano might be just what we needed to illustrate how ballet can be demystified. Created two years ago for Birmingham Royal Ballet, it shows that story-based ballets can be fresh, funny and accessible and that classical dancing need not always be centered around tutu-clad ballerinas.

Taking Edmond Rostand’s well-known play and staying close to its text, Bintley’s ballet narrows down the gap between theatre and dance. For starters the costumes are not what you would expect: plenty of ruffles, French breeches and big boots for the men and Romantic, Toile-de-Jouy-chic, for the heroine Roxane. Unlike the formality of classics Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty, there’s something unceremonious and inviting about the way the audience can see various characters strolling onstage and preparing to watch the “performance within the performance” as they take their seats, it’s almost like a levelling of the playing field.

Elisha Willis as Roxane and Robert Parker as Cyrano Photo: Bill Cooper / BRB ©

Robert Parker’s Cyrano is sympathetically played, with equal measures of tragedy and comedy. As in the play, the sad story of continued stoicism in the face of unrequited love is counterbalanced with plenty of humour. In a scene at Ragueneau’s Bakery, the bakers spoof the Sleeping Beauty’s Rose Adagio with baguettes and tartelettes in lieu of Aurora’s roses. In another moment our antihero Cyrano uses hilarious diversion tactics to cover up the secret wedding between Roxane and Christian, keeping rival De Guiche away.

Cyrano pretends to be a stranger with fantastic tales about the moon. I read afterwards that this episode of Rostand’s play is inspired by the real Cyrano de Bergerac who had written a work entitled The Other World: Society and Government of the Moon, considered one of the earliest science fiction compositions. This peculiar scene could easily fall into camp but Bintley manages to make Cyrano’s dancing while wearing a glass light globe over his head both wacky and dignified.

Bintley can get Romantic too. He fully conveys Cyrano’s gift for poetry and love letters through dance and sometimes mime, both beautifully realised by Robert Parker. The various pas de deux between Roxane (Elisha Wilis) and Christian (Iain Mackay, ex-BRB now guesting from Corella Ballet) are full of “head over heels in love” intricate lifts to represent the young lovers’ passion, with full credit here to Mackay’s excellent partnering skills.

Elisha Willis as Roxane and Iain Mackay as Christian in BRB's Cyrano. Photo: Bill Cooper / BRB ©

In addition to the central characters there are great roles for BRB’s male soloists such as Ragueneau the baker (Christopher Larsen) and Cyrano’s cadet friend Le Bret, danced by the marvellous Chi Cao. Marion Tait’s character part as Roxane’s jovial duenna is also a class act. If I had one wish, it would be for stronger female choreography as Roxane’s solos are very marked by attitude turns. But just as I start to notice this, Bintley puts Roxane into bravura mode. She bursts into battle camp cross dressed as a “soldier” in the final act and dances a sequence of typical male steps including some lovely pirouettes à la seconde. I should have seen it coming. Cyrano is most definitely a myth busting ballet.

This is the second of two ballet programmes by the BRB at Sadler’s Wells, the other one being a triple bill called Quantum Leaps.

Cyrano was originally created by David Bintley for the Royal Ballet in 1991, but this new version for the Birmingham Royal Ballet has a completely new score by Carl Davis. The music is atmospheric, well suiting Bintley’s ballet, which is based on the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It’s about a noble seventeenth century fellow named Cyrano with a horribly long nose, who is in love with his cousin Roxane. She in turn is interested in the callow young cadet Christian, and the plot is complicated by the fact that her guardian, the Comte de Guiche intends to marry her himself. Roxane asks Cyrano to deliver a love letter to Christian, and since the young fellow can’t read or write he asks Cyrano to write to Roxane on his behalf. The scene is then set for Roxane to fall helplessly in love with the letter writer whom she believes to be Christian. De Guiche manipulates events so that Christian is killed in battle, and Roxane then enters a convent in despair. She sees her cousin, Cyrano regularly, not knowing he is seriously wounded, nor that he loves her and has written all those beautiful letters. When she finds out, it’s too late and he dies in her arms.

Robert Parker was superb as Cyrano, with strong stage presence, precision in dancing, ability to express emotions, and playing well with the humorous parts. Elisha Willis was an utterly charming Roxane and her pas-de-deux with Cyrano in Act I was beautifully performed. This is a lovely piece of choreography, where she teasingly holds on to the letter she’s written. The supporting dancers all did well, with Iain Mackay as Christian, Chi Cao as Cyrano’s aide Le Bret, Christopher Larsen as Ragueneau the baker, Dominic Antonucci as the horrid De Guiche, and Marion Tait as the Duenna, who looks after Roxane. It’s always a pleasure to see her on stage, with her fine musicality. This is a ballet with plenty of ensemble dance for the men, and they performed it extremely well.

The designs by Hayden Griffin are wonderful, and I loved Roxane’s costumes. The fights, directed by Malcolm Ranson, were entertaining, but suffered from the usual weakness of people dropping dead without any apparent blow being struck. It was all very effectively lit by Mark Jonathan, and very well conducted by Wolfgang Heinz. Altogether this is a ballet to appeal to those who like a good story, and after a slow beginning it picked up later and the use of mime was very cleverly done. In fact it’s rather remarkable to turn into dance a story about a man who is good with words, but I think Bintley has succeeded.

Here’s a new behind-the-scenes video showing Iain Mackay and Elisha Willis rehearsing an Act II pas de deux from David Bintley’s Cyrano. Iain plays Christian, and Elisha plays Roxane. Iain and Elisha created these roles when this version of the ballet was first performed in 2007.

The two characters are in love, although Roxane only loves Christian because of the letters that Cyrano has written for him.

If you can’t see the clip above, you can view it here: www.vimeo.com/7204489

Today the Metro has a great offer on Birmingham Royal Ballet’s November visit to Sadler’s Wells: £38/£29 seats for half price (these are considered “top price,” same discount applies for a cheaper Wednesday matinee). Available for Quantum Leaps on November 10th and 11th and for Cyrano on November 13th and 14th. Call 0844 412 4300 and quote “Celebrate the City Offer” to book (£2.20 booking fee) – or go to the Sadler’s Wells website and enter “pcdcelebrate” in the promo code field after selecting your tickets to get the discount (£1.50 booking fee). Make sure to pick from the top price ones or you will not get a discount. I consider Birmingham Royal Ballet to be one of the best ballet companies around and highly recommend you take advantage of the opportunity to see these two new works when they come to London.

Well, here we are in November. Time for fall activities, turkey, maybe a bit of snow, AND apparently its time for the BLT floodgates to open and pour down on us undeserving souls. As you all may know, traditionally the Buffalo Laboratory Theatre would be about half way into a production in the first week of November. Of course, this changed when they decided to participate in ‘Curtain-Up!’, and so now here we are without a November BLT show. HOWEVER. It would appear that the BLT have not entirely forgotten their early November presence. This week, a boatload of BLT content has hit the net. Let’s take a look at this piece by piece.

First, we had a few emails that there had been another FTP leak. This time the leak reveals what appears to be a poster for a forthcoming BLT show, and an unannounced one at that! This minimalist poster for Cyrano seems to indicate that they are positioning it at their next show (opening in February). A fresh take on the classic love story of Cyrano de Bergerac, just in time for Valentines Day? Touché BLT. Touché. This is also seemingly confirmed by the BLT’s ‘flickr’ account, which has finally been updated from Machine Stops, and now has the periodic symbol for Cyrano with a “2″ under it indicating the second show. In addition to the date we seem to have a confirmed cast for the production, with BLT Artistic Director Taylor Doherty once again taking to the stage, this time withe BLT mainstays Golde and Ray Boucher! Who’s playing whom, we have no idea yet. We here at the BLT Bombshelter plan on having an upcoming article focusing on breaking down the poster, and gleaning what information we can from it, so look forward to that coming soon!

Also leaked out of that FTP server came a very interesting graphic that from the looks of it is destined for the official BLT website. Take a look at this:

LAB-CON?! What the? So the BLT is looking to announce its upcoming season a some sort of conference next spring?! Again, this graphic is all we have to go on at this point, but hot-damn. The imagination reels. What could be so important that the BLT needed a press conference to announce it? I guess well just have to wait and see, but I PROMISE I will do tons more digging to find out exactly what this is all about.

Lastly, we have a video that cam out of BLT graphic designer Steven J Fox’s personal You Tube account. His account has in the past brought us the unedited version of the Machine Stops trailer, and today we see something even more interesting. We knew the BLT was going to be taking a crack at the Kenny Finkle play Indoor/Outdoor sometime this season, but does this…..downright bizarre video hint at the direction they plan on taking? Only time will tell I suppose.

And with that I leave you once again humble readers. Look back soon for that poster break-down, and in the meantime speculate away in the comments! Talk to you all real soon!

Yours in the Autumn,

The Ghost of the Swan

I’m always happiest while I’m working toward something new. Building boosts my energy. Creating something new and putting it out into the Universe raises my levels of vibration.

Most everyone I know is also at peak energy when they are working toward a worthwhile goal. It seems that the journey itself always serves as a larger reward than reaching the destination.

Creating and marketing Cyrano has been the biggest goal I have ever pursued and the journey has been incredibly rewarding. When I (literally) dreamt of Cyrano some ten years ago, I woke up my wife and said that we had been given a gift from God that was going to make us rich.

I was correct, but I wasn’t right.

Cyrano has made us wealthy beyond our wildest dreams. We have become wealthy in terms of new business contacts, opportunities and most importantly… friends. Fortunately, wealth can never be taken away from us, whereas riches (money and things) can be lost in the blink of an eye.

Lately, everything seems to be accelerating at an exponential pace. Opportunities (big ones) are surfacing on an almost daily basis. Talented, smart, well-connected businesspeople are contacting me regularly to discuss advanced marketing concepts. It seems that after a decade of drought, more people are finally opening up to the idea of customizing their communications. You can’t imagine how rewarding it feels to finally get validation of your ideas and beliefs after being misunderstood for so many years.

And, the biggest prize of all? The friendships we’re forming!

I was recently introduced to a rather special couple: Bob & Betty Ann Golden.

Betty Ann and Bob exhibit every attribute that make us feel so wealthy. They are the modern-day embodiment of Dale Carnegie’s philosophies shared in How to Win Friends and Influence People. They have proven to be generous, open-minded toward new ideas, passionate about their own personal and professional development, and focused on helping others along their success journey. They have taken the time to learn about my goals, dreams and challenges, and have taken actions to help me.

They are connecting me with the right people. They are contributing wonderful ideas to help create new programs (that will help others), and they have recently invited me to join their successful marketing team at SendOutCards. I gleefully pounced on the opportunity.

As I move forward with the Golden’s and SendOutCards, I will be documenting our collective successes and failures. Sharing knowledge and wisdom with others is my favorite pastime!

The Golden’s are showing why “giver’s get”! Together, we are forming a club of likeminded, helpful people called The Giver’s Group.

Patty and I are flying out to spend a few days with the Golden’s. When we return, I will begin posting more about the group, our vision and who will benefit by participating!

Sono tempi bui, ormai da un po’.
Ci siamo fatti i calli. L’abitudine. Perchè sembrano non passare.
O forse. Per quelli che vedono il lato nero della cosa non sono mai passati ed è sempre buio, il tempo, la vita.

Poi ci sono gli altri. Quelli che vedono la luce fuori dal tunnel. Quelli del “passerà”.
Due partiti, due modi di vedere le cose.
Ma concordi, nel dire che, oggi, ora, son tempi bui. Neri.
E più ci rifletto più mi sembrano tempi strani, in cui non puoi fare affidamento a troppe cose.
Momenti in cui la fiducia e la certezza vaccillano, diventano punti fermi poche persone care, amici e amanti, familiari stretti.
Poco altro.
E ti ritrovi spesso a fare i conti con te stesso solo. Che il Futuro è precario. La casa ha il mutuo o è pericolante per un terremoto o sotto una frana. Il lavoro interinale o mancante. Relazioni fugaci e libertine, che durano il tempo di una notte, di un ballo.

Per non parlare dei partiti, o della politica. Degli ideali.
In cosa credere. Addirittura è difficile capire in cosa sperare. Cosa sognare. E volere per il nostro domani.

Vederla così nera sarebbe facile. Un alibi perfetto per questi tempi bui e senza luce.
E la soluzione la trovo in certe cose. E sembrano suggerirmela certe sensazioni.
L’arte. Un momento di particolare emozione. Un gesto spontaneo. Una canzone. Il bello.

Questa canzone diventa il mio manifesto:

Stagione autunnale del Teatro Argentina. Dal 7 Ottobre all’8 novembre 2009 sarà in scena “Cyrano de Bergerac”. Regia di Daniele Abbado.

Cyrano. Abile tanto con la spada quanto coi giochi di parole. Innamorato pazzo di sua cugina (“Nelle mani soltanto stelle rotte: / l’ombra perduta tra i rami che non potevi mai vedere / mentre quell’altro saliva / e ti faceva l’amore.”, da “Rossana Rossana” in “Blumun” di Roberto Vecchioni ).

Diventa suggeritore per l’altrui passione. Soffre di un male che è quello che fa battere il cuore più forte. (“Non voglio rassegnarmi ad essere cattivo / tu sola puoi salvarmi / tu sola e te lo scrivo / dev’esserci, lo sento / in terra o in cielo un posto / dove non soffriremo e tutto sarà giusto”parole di Beppe Dati usate per la canzone interpretata da Guccini, nell’album “D’amore, di morte e di altre sciocchezze”).

Geniale e temerario. Autentico eroe romantico. Il Cyrano è una commedia eroica ambientata nella Francia di metà Seicento. E’ stata scritta nel 1897 da Edmond Rostand. Noi, con l’occasione, vi ricordiamo anche le trasposizioni cinematografiche di Michael Gordon (“Cyrano”, che valse il Premio Oscar al suo interprete José Ferrer) e qualla di Fred Schepisi (“Roxanne”). Lo ritroviamo al Teatro Argentina. Massimo Popolizio nelle vesti di Cyrano e Viola Pornaro in quelle di Rossana. Daniele Abbado li dirige.

Le scenografie e i costumi saranno curati da Graziano Gregori, le coreografie da Simona Bucci ed il Maestro d’Armi Francesco Manetti ha preparato gli attori per le scene con la spada.

Il Teatro Argentina ha sempre avuto un occhio di riguardo per i grandi classici. Da tempo sa riproporre al pubblico intramontabili pietre miliari della letteratura europea.
Ci restituisce questo personaggio agguerrito, innamorato. Ci andiamo fischiettando fieri a teatro. Ci andiamo canticchiando, discreti ma dignitosi: “Venite pure avanti / voi con il naso corto / signori imbellettati / io più non vi sopporto…”

Cyrano de Bergerac
Spettacolo Teatrale
Teatro Argentina di Roma
Via di Torre Argentina, 52
Dal 7 Ottobre all’8 Novembre 2009
Info: 06 6875445

Westmidlandsdance.com posted reviews of both Quantum Leaps and Cyrano after each was performed in Birmingham.

Here’s a couple of excerpts, with links through to the full reviews below each.

Cyrano

What do you get when you add some swash-buckling sword fighting, a blind priest and a heart-wrenching love story? A great ballet by David Bintley.

Bintley’s Cyrano has hit the Birmingham stage once more, and after critical acclaim for its relaunch in 2007, this production does not fail to please the audience of 2009.

Robert Parker, on whom Cyrano was created, could not bring more expression and depth to his character, and in dancing terms is in a league of his own. While maintaining excellent technique, Parker gives Cyrano a layered narrative – letting the audience see his gracious and tender heart, alongside the cocky facade he puts on for his pals. The characterisation can make Christian, danced by Iain Mackay, seem more one-dimensional and the duet between himself and Roxane – Elisha Willis – lack the passion and emotion reserved for her dances with Parker. Bintley’s daring choreography showcases Willis’s perfect jetées and some trademark double-loop dipping lifts. She brings a wholesomeness to her character, required to let the audience feel she deserves Cyrano’s love and the intricate mime sequences from all three main characters propel the ballet from start to finish.

Aside from the tender love story there are some truly memorable moments from the rest of the corps de ballet. Notably a mock-Rose adagio from Sleeping Beauty danced by four flexed-footed male cooks, a scene where Cyrano pretends to be an alien with a lampshade on his head to stall Roxanne’s ill-willed suitor, and a number of captivating all-male ensemble dances. Bintley balances the romance with humour to make the tragedy complete and move you from laughter to tears.

Click here to read the full review

Quantum Leaps

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s new season has kicked off to an explosive start.

Tonight marked return of the company with two new incendiary pieces to add to the repetoire, and this launch into the new year showcased some the their best work yet.

The three-part evening commenced with the return of Stanton Welch’s Powder – a cheeky satirical number set to Mozart which sees scantily clad dancers winding around each other in an almost spoof ballet.

But the audience quietly anticipated director David Bintey’s hotly-awaited debut – E=mc². Broken into four segments, each chapter looking at an element in the relativity equation, the ‘ballet’ reaches revolutionary ground in exploring the relationship between science and dance.

Even without knowing what E=mc² stands for, audience members could not fail to know instantly something of the elements each dance aimed to replicate by Bintley’s carefully thought out movements and composition. This is surely the director’s greatest works yet, and a testament to the talent in the company that he can create such an unprecedented exploration of physics and chemistry on stage.

Bintley’s act was hard to follow, but Garry Stweart’s The Centre and its Opposite took up where Bintley left off with yet another superb new creation exploiting the company’s excellence. The heavy base beat of Huey Benjamin’s soundtrack echoed through the theatre, accented by Michael Mannion’s striking strip lighting. The choreography was physically aggressive yet attractive, hitting notes of force and power, which were particularly electric between Robert Parker and Elisha Willis.

Click here to read the full review

In this clip, Director David Bintley and Principal Robert Parker discuss Cyrano’s prosthetic nose. Includes backstage footage and clips from the stage production.

Casting for all 2009 tour dates at Belfast Grand Opera House and Plymouth Theatre Royal are available on the Birmingham Royal Ballet website.

Click the following links to take a look:

Cyrano at Belfast Grand Opera House

Quantum Leaps and Cyrano at Plymouth Theatre Royal