Mark Morris' "Romeo and Juliet on Motifs of Shakespeare"

[Helene]

This morning I opened up today's Deccan Chronicle, and there, on the arts page was not only an article on "The Big Dance" in London -- expected in an Indian newspaper -- but at the top of the page in "World" a listing that

Mork Morris' Romeo and Juliet on Motifs of Shakespeare will have its premiere on Friday at Bard SummerScape in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY with Leon Botstein leading the American Symphony Orchestra

and a photo.

Halfway across the world: how cool is that?

[jamgarr]

This morning I opened up today's Deccan Chronicle, and there, on the arts page was not only an article on "The Big Dance" in London -- expected in an Indian newspaper -- but at the top of the page in "World" a listing that

Mork Morris' Romeo and Juliet on Motifs of Shakespeare will have its premiere on Friday at Bard SummerScape in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY with Leon Botstein leading the American Symphony Orchestra

and a photo.

Halfway across the world: how cool is that?

I'm a proud papa - my daughter is in R&J. Going to Bard this weekend to see her!

[bart]

Helene, you've opened up a New World for us. I checked the paper's website and it's truly fascinating. Have you checked out the holiday get-aways to Sri Lanka?. I'm astonishing how much educated, English-speaking people in countries like India can learn about the U.S. (As opposed, for example, to what we in the U.S. are exposed to from India.)

Here's the article on the London event(s):

http://www.deccan.com/cultureplus/cultureplus.asp

[drb]

What is strange is that I can't find any prior thread under Modern Dance about this new production of R + J. So if I may switch to that part of the topic, here are some resources on the production:

http://www.fishercenter.bard.edu/romeoandjuliet/home.shtml

The video link is part of a Times Talk interview of Mr. Morris. He discusses the newly discovered Prokofiev score and some of the differences we'll see in his production. For example, Tybalt and Mercutio will be women. And, of course, the lead couple will live and dance happily ever after, but lots of others die. The dancing is "rough", not balletic. On the audio link at the bottom of the page we learn why Prokofiev has them live forever (it is based on his religion).

If you find the video of interest, you might like to see the full 76 minutes (including dance footage of the middle piece of his Mozart Dances). Unfortunately the only link for this that I could find requires you to watch a 16 second invitation to join the army. You can click to make the video large.

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=107602@wcbs.dayport.com

[kfw]

For the third week in a row, the New Yorker has published a dance piece by Joan Acocella (one could get used to this), and this week's piece is not a review, but a long preview of Morris' new work. Acocella's title is "Romeo, Romeo: The Ballet Gets a Happy Ending."

I was taken by this passage early in the article:

On a table in the studio are books on Italian hand gestures that Morris has asked the company to look at.

Not one book, but books. That's real research.

In the square (in Verona), the dancers bite their knuckles (anger) and swipe their chins (scorn) at one another. They give one another the finger. The spectacle is ugly and comical at the same time, a combination often seen in Morris' work. He cares about Romeo and Juliet, but he's also fond of the dirty old world.

[Mme. Hermine]

A review today from the Daily Gazette:

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/jul/06/MORRIS_0706/

Mark Morris Dance Group’s “Romeo & Juliet: On Motifs of Shakespeare” is the dance event of the summer season.

For music lovers, the production, now on stage at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, is a revelation. It features nearly 20 minutes of music by Prokofiev that was stripped from the score that is familiar today. It was cut by the Stalin government as Prokofiev changed the ending to a happy one — the lovers live and ascend to a utopian plane.

[jimmattimore]

A review today from the Daily Gazette:

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/jul/06/MORRIS_0706/

Mark Morris Dance Group’s “Romeo & Juliet: On Motifs of Shakespeare” is the dance event of the summer season.

For music lovers, the production, now on stage at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, is a revelation. It features nearly 20 minutes of music by Prokofiev that was stripped from the score that is familiar today. It was cut by the Stalin government as Prokofiev changed the ending to a happy one — the lovers live and ascend to a utopian plane.

Macauley shredded the production, every aspect of it in the Times today.

I think it's his most vitriolic piece since becoming chief dance critic for the Times.

I am a lover of classical romantic ballet, so I'll pass on this R and J.

JIM

[dirac]

I think it's his most vitriolic piece since becoming chief dance critic for the Times.

I’d stop short of vitriolic, but it’s on the snotty side (“incurably politically correct,” etc.) However, going by what I’ve seen of Morris’ recent work, it wouldn’t stun me if some of Macaulay’s major points are well taken.

[sandik]

What is strange is that I can't find any prior thread under Modern Dance about this new production of R + J. So if I may switch to that part of the topic, here are some resources on the production:

http://www.fishercenter.bard.edu/romeoandjuliet/home.shtml

The video link is part of a Times Talk interview of Mr. Morris. He discusses the newly discovered Prokofiev score and some of the differences we'll see in his production. For example, Tybalt and Mercutio will be women. And, of course, the lead couple will live and dance happily ever after, but lots of others die. The dancing is "rough", not balletic. On the audio link at the bottom of the page we learn why Prokofiev has them live forever (it is based on his religion).

If you find the video of interest, you might like to see the full 76 minutes (including dance footage of the middle piece of his Mozart Dances). Unfortunately the only link for this that I could find requires you to watch a 16 second invitation to join the army. You can click to make the video large.

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=107602@wcbs.dayport.com

Thanks so much for the links -- I'm scampering over to watch!

[bart]

Here's a Link to Susan Reiter's insightful and wondrously detailed review in DanceViewTimes:

http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2008/07/rome...et-on.html#more

Of all the works produced during the 2007-2008 season, this is the one I'd love to see most. What kind of touring life will it have, I wonder?

Here's a Link to an earlier thread, focusing on the restorations to the Prokofiev score that are incorporated into this production.

http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...=25726&st=0