44 replies to this topic

[Helene]

The cast lists aren't up, but according to Alice Kaderlan, who spoke to Dave Beck on KUOW, one of the local Seattle public radio stations, Carla Korbes, who was cast in it last year but was injured, and Kaori Nakamura will dance Juliette.  She said that Noelani Pantastico was in town to coach them.  (I would have thought that Korbes, like Pantastico, was also coached by Maillot last year.)  She also said that Korbes was supposed to dance only one performance in the last run, which doesn't make sense.  I know Bernice Coppetiers, who originated the role and also coached, was supposed to dance one performance, the second Saturday matinee -- she was listed on casting page in the website -- but in a Q&A, Peter Boal said that there were visa issues.

According to Boal in a Q&A at the end of last season, Lucien Postlewaite and James Moore, who both danced the role last year.

http://www.kuow.org/...am.php?id=18332

[SandyMcKean]

I will be excited to see Kaori in this role.  Her technique is flawless, but in a crystaline sort of way.  A strong exception to that overall impression was when I saw her performance in Tharp's "Afternoon Ball".  There Kaori created a character of wild emotion with non-traditional dance vocabulary that made it hard for me to believe that who I was watching was really Kaori.  I'd still like to see someone like Rachel Foster doing Juilette because of her natural affinity for more modern styles, but certainly not to the exclusion of Kaori -- assuming Kaori can marry her incredible technique to the emotionalism required to deliver Malliot's choreography.  Watching Kaori in the last couple of years inject character and emotion into her dance gives me reason to be very excited indeed about the possibility of her Juilette in this version of R&J.  I can't wait!

[pirouetta27]

Kaori seems to have the huge range of emotions required for Juliette, as well as the stamina to get through all the acts.  I wonder how she'll approach the transition from teasing, impetuous teen to lovestruck, devoted young woman.  It's neat to see that, even after all her years at PNB, she's still adding new challenges to her repertoire.  
I'd be curious to see if anyone else is learning the roles of R & J...ie, Seth Orza, Rachel Foster, and Lesley Rausch.  I'd be surprised if Seth wasn't an understudy, because the role of Romeo seems right up his alley.  Also, who will be Nurse and Mercutio?  I'm so excited to see the final cast list...

[sandik]

pirouetta27, on Sep 4 2009, 11:28 PM, said:

I'd be surprised if Seth wasn't an understudy, because the role of Romeo seems right up his alley.  Also, who will be Nurse and Mercutio?  I'm so excited to see the final cast list...

And he's already done an R&J, at NYCB.

The company usually starts rehearsing a handful of dancers for major roles, thinking that some are learning the work for future seasons.  Occasionally they've had to bring those dancers up to speed due to injuries in the current casts, but that's not always the case.

I'm wondering about Nurse and Mercutio, yes, and also wondering who might be dancing Lady Capulet.

Originally, I think Korbes and Pantastico would have split the performances a bit more equally, but there were a series of decision made fairly close to the opening that wound up with Noelani P doing a marathon job.  As I understood the situation with Bernice C, she was asked to perform for an added matinee (the show was selling extraordinarily well) and when she said she was available they added the performance.  Then they couldn't get her visa processed in time (she was coming to the states already, but needed to arrive earlier to do this show) despite intervention by several people, so Pantastico took a breath and said she'd do that one as well.

[Helene]

Orza was scheduled to dance the pas de deux at Vail, with Carla Korbes.  Boal didn't mention any more men in the role, but we may be surprised.  I'd love to see Orza do it.

I thought I saw Korbes listed multiple times in the Week 1 cast list before she was injured and casting was updated, but I could be hallucinating again.  I'm looking forward to seeing both women this year.

Countdown to the casting...

[sandik]

Helene, on Sep 4 2009, 11:54 PM, said:

I thought I saw Korbes listed multiple times in the Week 1 cast list before she was injured and casting was updated, but I could be hallucinating again.  I'm looking forward to seeing both women this year.

Countdown to the casting...

I think you're right about Korbes being scheduled for a fair number of performances -- they really did take a major risk by having just one Juliette for the run of the show, and I know that was not the original intention.

[Helene]

The Company is making it very difficult to do the detective work, but in some new rehearsal photos on the PNB Facebook site, Chalnessa Eames and Rachel Foster are seen rehearsing the Nurse -- I thought Eames was fantastic in the role last year -- and Carrie Imler is sitting on a bench in a photo rehearsing with Kaori Nakamura.

There are a number of photos of the men, with Jonathan Porretta,  Josh Spell, Seth Orza, James Moore, Lucien Postlewaite, Batkhurel Bold, I think Tisserand and maybe Kyle Davis (in the red shirt) rehearsing the fight scene in various combinations.

[SandyMcKean]

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Chalnessa Eames and Rachel Foster are seen rehearsing the Nurse...

Glad to hear that (great detective work, BTW!).  Rachel was my pick to replace Jodi Thomas as the nurse if Rachel didn't get the nod to do Juliette (low odds I know).  I agree with you Helene, Chalnessa was a terrific nurse last year (such a great part!) so it is not surprising she will do it again.  Hmmmmm....Carrie as Lady Capulet perhaps.  I wish the men photo had Barry Kerollis in it since I was pulling for him to inherit the Tybalt role from Herd.

[SingerWhoMoves]

Mara Vinson is also learning Juliette.

[Helene]

I wondered if that was she in the back left corner of photo #1...

[SandyMcKean]

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Mara Vinson is also learning Juliette.

Looks like sandik called that one right!

Frankly, Mara didn't use to excite me, but something's changed....I am really getting into her dancing since she returned from maturity maternity leave.  I loved her in Dances at a Gathering.  If she does Juliette that will no doubt clinch it for me: one way or the other.

[later edit....OOPS  )

[Helene]

I think from photos 25 and 26, it looks like Imler is rehearsing the Nurse to Nakamura's Juliette.

[SandyMcKean]

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Imler is rehearsing the Nurse

Now, that's interesting.  With her acting skills (along with everything else wonderful about Carrie) she'll take that role to unimagined places (if she doesn't upstage Juliette ).

[sandik]

There are indeed many tasty roles here, and I'm very curious to see who eventually does what.  In the meantime, we certainly seem to have fun speculating.

[SingerWhoMoves]

How I wish I would be in Seattle to see it!