Saturday night's performance was a series of firsts for me:
- first time to see NYCB
- first time to see Prodigal Son
- first time to see a ballerina's onstage retirement
- first time to see a dancer go SPLAT!
A last minute work assignment took me to New York City for the weekend. Whenever this has happened in the past, NYCB has been between seasons, but a check of their website this time showed Saturday night's program not only met my tastes but a ticket was available.
Arriving at the theatre at 7:59 I discovered the box office hadn't processed my online ticket order, but there was a single seat still available. Out came my credit card and I endured what seemed like an eternity as they completed the purchase. I found my seat and the lights dimmed before I even had a chance to open my program. Fortunately, Prodigal Son's plot was obvious.
My seat was 101G right on the aisle, with some sightline problems. I don't think I missed anything onstage during Prodigal Son, but thought Viola Alone used pre-recorded music until the musicians appeared for their curtain call! Can I assume the musicians performed upstage right?
My extreme side angle view into the stage left wings enabled me to see Alexandra Ansanelli do a full frontal fall onto hands and knees exiting the stage halfway through the pas de deux. I also caught the hickup during the promenade which proved to me that even NYCB dancers aren't infallible.
Since I wasn't aware Helene Alexopoulos would retire at the end of the evening, I thought it quite odd for Peter Boal to share his final bow with her. At evenings conclusion, all eventually became clear however, as she was showered with flowers by a seemingly endless parade of former partners. I even managed to catch a glimpse of Peter Martins.
Truly, a night to remember!