Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Nutcracker


Recommended Posts

I like to wait until after Thanksgiving to deal with holiday things like Nutcracker and eggnog, but there's been nog on the shelf in my local grocery store since before Halloween, and Nutcracker press releases in my inbox for weeks, so I'm just a relic of an earlier time!

Link to comment

Second week of casting is up:

Sarah Ricard Orza dances Clara, a couple of Professional Student dancers, Price Suddarth and Steven Loch, join Josh Spell for Dervishes.

A lot of young dancers do the three pas de trois:

*Commedia (Marzipan music): Reshef and Relic do Commedia with Griffiths, Clark and Samuelson with Sar, and Reshef with Foster and Moore

*Pirlipat/Nutcracker/Mouse King (vocal duet from "Queen of Spades"): Mullin and Davis with Spell, Thompson and Hippolito Jr. with Duge, Samuelson and Bartee with Sar, and Rollofson and Bartee with Anspach

Lots of good roles all around.

Link to comment
A lot of young dancers do the three pas de trois:

...

Lots of good roles all around.

Those are really good parts to see people coming along -- I have good memories of several different dancers early in their career in the trios.

Anyone here been yet?

Link to comment

I saw last night's performance. For Act I, I thought I was watching a film at Film Forum: if mirrors had been put under our noses, I'm not sure there would be fog on them. The dancers tried, but, for the most part, there wasn't much energy. That changed for Act II.

Alastair Willis, who is familiar to Seattle audiences from his stint as Associate Conductor of Seattle Symphony, conducted an unusual performance, with emphasis on woodwinds, horns, and lower strings, which emphasized the ominous elements of the staging. In Act I after the overture, the first time the high violins were prominent was during the transformation scene, which made quite a dramatic statement. For much of Act II, Willis and the orchestra were on Usain Bolt time, and kudos especially to the kids in Toy Theatre and the beginning of the coda for keeping up.

Seth Orza performed Drosselmeier. It is a wonderful role for him. He found many unique touches and phrasing in the mime, and he avoided any tendency to over-act. James Moore's characterization and mime as the Warrior Mouse was beautifully realized, a larger version of Fritz, who was portrayed by the striking Theo DePina. Lucien Postlewaite was a prince of a Prince, partnering with such style and grace. In the Act II mime, many a Prince has directed it vaguely toward the audience of servant children, but his mime was most specifically directed to them, and he made us watch him tell the story to them. Moore in the Act II Commedia had great energy and charm.

The night, though, belonged to three long-legged women: Sarah Ricard Orza danced Clara, and her approach to both Pas de Deux was daring, with great energy through her clearly articulated legs. Laura Gilbreath was a superb Peacock, and she portrayed a trapped bird on display not through birdlike gesture, but by punctuating her phrasing with an almost staccato-like sense. Finally, Lindsi Dec was all big, creamy movement as Flora. I know she was just promoted to Soloist, but she's been dancing this season like she belongs front and center.

Link to comment
Laura Gilbreath was a superb Peacock, and she portrayed a trapped bird on display not through birdlike gesture, but by punctuating her phrasing with an almost staccato-like sense.
I am surprised Ms. Gilbreath has not yet been promoted to soloist - hopefully at the end of the 2010 season this will be rectified.
Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...