Farrell Fan

As far as spoken voices, when I was growing up in the 30's and 40's, there was no such thing as a woman radio announcer. They have been ubiquitous now for many years. And since, as a male, I enjoy patting myself on the back, I want to point out that my favorite contemporary author is Anne Tyler and my favorite book reviewer, Toni Bentley. I am a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, and the idea of reading anything by Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz makes me sick to my stomach. Am I not enlightened?

Not only was Farrell not waif-like, there used to be ccasional complaints about her "baby fat." I remember one such remark by John Taras, I think in the pages of Ballet Review.

The old guy is more confused than ever, this being the 400th anniversary of his first appearance in print. On the ballet stage he's been wandering around since the 18th century, trying to figure out what those barbers, innkeepers, and fops have to do with him. He thought he'd found stardom in 1965, in Balanchine's ballet, but was met with a pie in the face. Now the one and only Dulcinea is reviving the Balanchine ballet. If you see the Don and his squire, please direct them to the Kennedy Center, June 22 to 26.

On this question, Barbara Newman writes in the current Ballet Review (Spring, 2005), "As for style, I don't want to debate whether the company can or cannot dance Balanchine's ballets as they "should" be danced, when the good news is that they are still danced because their guardians value what they show us about dance and about the dancers who perform them."

Thanks from me, too, dirac. As the article points out, he was also an opera singer. I loved his recorded Falstaff. I heard him in a live concert only once and it was a great experience. I probably shouldn't admit this, but when I'd hear recordings of baritone lieder on tho radio (in a bygone era) I was never sure if the singer was Fischer-Dieskau or Hermann Prey.

This is somewhat off-topic, but I want to show off the almost-supernatural qualities of Suzanne Farrell and do a little showing off of my own. A couple of years ago I sneaked into the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center and sat in the last row, slumped down in my seat, watching Farrell rehearse Meditation/Movements. It was thrilling. That night I went to see her backstage and she said, "Thank you for coming to the rehearsal today."

I'm told that Simon was somewhat mellower in his dotage and I'll take ATM's word for it, among others. But it doesn't mitigate what went before. He was way beyond "caustic;" he was a character assassin who should have been fired long ago.

I remember "The Magic Flute" very well, both at the SAB Workshop and a short time later when Jock, Katrina Killian, and the entire ballet were taken into NYCB. Tobi Tobias's account of it makes me wonder why it hasn't ever been revived for other dancers. Not that anyone could recapture Jock's qualities in it. It wasn't too long after this that he began his long career of turning Heather Watts into a pretzel. They were great together, but I feel Jock came into his full-blown maturity only when she retired. Like most NYCB fans, I'll miss him.

Yes, but...It was discouraging to me that both those ballets, as well as the Barber and Glass got more enthusiastic ovations than the excellently danced Balanchine. I also think that Bouder is totally miscast as the "modern" dancer in Barber. Like Bobbi, I want to see her in classical roles. And I have a radical suggestion for the next choreographer of a pas de deux ala the Millepied and Evans pieces: turn on the lights!

In a way this is poetic justice. I haven't read Simon in years, but I distinctly remember his comments on the age and appearance of actors who displeased him. Ruth Gordon was the victim of a particularly savage attack.

Also true of choreographers. My wife and I once saw Jerome Robbins taking out his garbage. It made us happy.

I can't believe Farrell would let Michael Kaiser or anyone else dictate her programming. She has always held Bejart, her "second Mr. B." in the highest regard and sought to program more of his works for her company.

My own observation is that the answer to all three questions is yes.

Don't forget that she's putting on seven performances of Balanchine's Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center from June 22 to 26, the first revival in over 25 years. I don't think anyone need fear that Suzanne is giving short shrift to Balanchine.

Again, thanks to Repertory in Review, the leading dancers were William Dollar, Lew Christensen, Gisella Caccialanza, and Marie-Jeanne "traveling by slow boat, car, bus, and train, under the shadow of incipient war."

"Repertory in Review" lists premieres on the American Ballet Caravan tour by Antony Tudor, Lew Cristensen and Jose Fernandez, and William Dollar. Two premieres are credited to Balanchine: "Divertimento," to music of Rossini orchestrated by Benjamin Britten, 27 June, 1941, Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro; and "Fantasia Brasileira," to a piano concerto by Francisco Mignone, 27 August, 1941, Teatro Municipal, Santiago de Chile. Neither of these ballets was ever seen anyplace else. Hi, Silvy.

To make the point clearer, I just want to add that in his will Mr. B did not bequeath his ballets to NYCB. He left them to various individuals.

Far be it from me to launch "the next wave of attacks," but I don't see how by any stretch of the imagination the current NYCB can be called "Mr. B's company." True, they dance many of the ballets he choreographed, but, as Balanchine predicted, they are danced differently. NYCB stopped being Balanchine's company years ago.

Balanchine said he didn't care what happened to his ballets after his death. Suzanne Farrell does.

What has Ask la Cour done to deserve promotion?

Thanks, dirac and Mme. Hermine. I'm definitely going to read this. I remember in the waning days of radio shows, she was on one called "The Big Show." I think most of her remarks went over my head.

Wow! See what Boris Eifman started? Poor Mr. B. Thanks for posting this, Anthony. I note without comment the author's training with the "prestigious" Harkness Ballet.

I've been to the ballet several times with people who have fallen asleep, and I've occasionally dozed off myself. Falling asleep is definitely more annoying to the person accompanying the sleeper, who must keep elbows poised for poking in case of embarrassing snores. On the other hand, sleepers are often sleeping lightly enough to be vaguely aware of what's happening onstage and think they haven't missed a thing. Some of our most scholarly reviews result from this condition.

Do you mean American Bal-LAY Thee-AY-tur at the Metro-POL-i-tan Opry House?

I must veer off-topic to note that the pronunciations that bother me most at the moment are 'Elec-TORE-al" and "May-YORE-al" for Electoral and Mayoral. Now back to balletto.