Coppelia

[carbro]

I attended both Thursday and Saturday evening, and there were distinct differences in the performances.

In Act I on Thursday, I felt Ringer was mugging a bit and dancing with a grandeur that was misplaced. Happily, by Saturday she was more natural and more scaled to the relatively intimate feeling of the piece. I was charmed by Askegard, but don't feel he was entirely comfortable with the choreography. LaFosse kept Coppelius on the slightly dotty (rather than really creepy) side. Unfortunately, he completely fell out of character during Act II. Or perhaps a miracle cure for arthritis was part of this Coppelius' back-story. The Saturday Coppelius was Adam Hendrickson, a touching and fully conceptualized portrayal of that weird kid who was shunned in school and grows up to shun society and live in a world of his own creation. Very sensitive.

On Saturday, Jenny had trouble with the Scottish dance -- muddling the turned-in/turned-out second position plies. Kaplow was racing way ahead of her.

The Act III shoulder lifts, whose preparation caused a degree of fuss on Thursday, went more smoothly on Saturday, as Askegard hunched over to put his shoulder at a better height. Not elegant, but an improvement. The trouble would seem to come from the discrepancy between the heights of this particular Swanilda and Frantz. Otherwise the adage was beautifully and sensitively danced. Askegard simplified his variation on Saturday, avoiding the trouble he had during the previous air turn-pirouette combination. By coda time both nights, Ringer seemed to be riding the crest of an endorphin wave. What a joy to see!

None of the Act III soloists was truly outstanding on Saturday. I enjoyed Mandrajieff in the Waltz of the Hours on Thursday, less so the second time. Dena Abergel's Prayer on Thursday was commanding and grandly benevolent. Quite lovely.

I've tried -- really tried -- to withhold judgment in favor of a straight account, Michael, but it's so hard!

[Michael]

Adam Hendrickson is an amazingly good dramatic dancer, better in that way maybe than he is technically, I'm really sorry I missed his Coppelius. Thanks so very much for the account, It's surprisingly important to me to hear accounts of what I can't get to see and this in particular, going cold turkey on the season. I never saw Macbride in this and I'm interested now in the extremely wide range of the role, wondering whether she was really able to shine in Acts I, II and III. I thought Ringer miscast to some degree. As Leigh suggested last year, she's not quick with her feet and sometimes throws her upper body around to compensate. I usually avoid Borree but, to my surprise, she was quite good in Acts I and II, despite slurring over the steps in the demanding parts (a little run forward in Act I sticks in my mind, she nearly marked it). Technical perfection is less important here maybe than overall dramatization or at least some dramtization. Borree seems to need to know very much who she is supposed to be, if she's told point blank she seems to have an idea at least (that terrible syrupy Romeo and J. balcony scene of Lavery's is one of her best parts, it's awful but you can see she has the broad idea). I can't imagine what judgments you supressed. Perhaps I've contradicted myself again and failed to supress mine.

[carbro]

A post script, but you specifically asked. The house was jam-packed on Saturday night. It appeared sold-out. Neither Nutcracker I saw this season was as full as that house.

The response both nights was surprisingly tepid.:confused:

[liebs]

Michael, I had the pleasure of seeing McBride a number of times as Swanhilda and she did shine in all three acts. She was the perfect combination of dancing and acting - a marvelous soubrette. And it was a real battle between her Swanhilda and Shaun O'Brien's Coppelius for Frantz's soul. They were very well matched.