dirac

A tribute to Abrams from a former assistant.

Finally saw this. Very disappointed, I regret to say. Loaded with cliches. Turing deserved better. Cumberbatch was all right, given what he had to play. The screenwriter, Gerald Moore, gave a touching speech at the Academy Awards. I didn't realize it would be better than most of what he contributed to the picture.

Thanks, KarenAG. I had read that the big ballet didn't seem to relate much to the theme. Whatever the failings of the movie ballet, it was plainly about an American in Paris. Sorry I can't see this myself, at least not immediately. Any more reports on the show?

That's true. Kirkland violated some sort of ballet omertà, and you'd have thought she was the only person in ballet who'd ever had an eating disorder or used drugs. She became the designated bad girl. Of course, there are certain kinds of candor you don't have to apologize for. In her book,Twyla Tharp raved about Baryshnikov's performance in the bedroom, and somehow I doubt she'll ever feel obliged to say "Sorry I said that."

You'd have to ask Melissa Hayden-- now, alas, unavailable for comment -- that's where the quote about "emotional support" came from. I agree - mommy, daddy, or whatever other personal issues aside, Kirkland was seeking something artistically that wasn't available at NYCB. I'm not disagreeing with the foregoing, kaskait, although Farrell was old enough to notice that Balanchine had established a certain pattern. That's a long way from saying she "played" him, however. He actually could have behaved even worse in the period following Farrell's marriage. (I used the wrong word initially, Balanchine didn't can her but let her go after an unwise ultimatum issued by Farrell.) But leaving the personal stuff aside, it was an artistic lose-lose for both of them.

Here's the trailer for the show.

I don't think she said anything resembling that.

I understand the obits at the NYT and other papers are written in advance for prominent people who are advanced in years. Maybe this was one of them. It also wasn't written by any of the paper's dance writers. Given Plisetskaya's stature, I hope there will be an appreciation to follow that takes a more complete and thoughtful approach. Apparently Plisetskaya requested that her ashes be scattered over Russia with those of her husband, when the time comes. Very appropriate, I think.

For Comcast cable subscribers, Slow Dancing in the Big City is currently available for On Demand viewing. A review from the late Roger Ebert. Ebert is kinder than I would be, but I admit I've never actually minded sitting through this movie even though it does feature the heroine talking to her parakeet, not so bad in itself but the bird is named Orville Wright. It does have a distinctive score from Bill Conti. Starring Paul Sorvino and Anne (fka Ann) Ditchburn of the National Ballet of Canada. Talk about it here....

kfw writes: Jimenez wasn't arrogant or cynical. Nor did I detect any particular righteous boldness in her tone, not that either quality would necessarily be uncalled for in this context. She was to the point. Don't Form a Committee to Look Into the Issue and Make Recommendations for Future Action. Hire people now, they're out there. She notes that the remedy for racial injustice is also a matter of structural change, which, as mentioned previously, goes beyond individuals, well-intentioned or otherwise. Nothing wrong with committees, necessarily, although as Helene noted above, they're often a vehicle for putting off action and used as a convenient line of defense ("See! We appointed a committee!") All the same, they do have their place and maybe something good will come of this one. But that's not the point Jimenez was making here.

Not much of an obit. Nothing but political point-making. Not that politics are irrelevant to her career, quite the contrary, but for people who may not read anything about Plisetskaya beyond this piece, it would have been nice to talk more about the artist.

"She commands the earth!" -- Diana Vreeland

To be exact, Farrell resisted. She didn't run away, Balanchine canned her. In fairness to Balanchine, Kirkland does seem to have taken for granted much of what he did give her, which was plenty. In her book there's a passage where she runs through the roles she danced at NYCB - great parts in great ballets that other dancers would have killed to get - quite dismissively. And Firebird wasn't the only Stravinsky ballet treated strangely by Balanchine around this time. My hunch is it had more to do with Balanchine and Stravinsky than Balanchine and Kirkland. Quoting, or re-quoting, Melissa Hayden: "Kirkland got too much too soon without the right kind of emotional support." And I agree, it's quite likely she didn't get that support in part because Balanchine was still recovering from the crisis with Farrell.

It does take some getting used to. I tell myself it's actually progress in a sense, because until fairly recently women were not only not supposed to have obvious muscles but too much physical exercise was considered unfeminine. Jane Fonda once said that she began taking ballet classes because it was the only place to go for women who wanted to work up a sweat (gyms catered mainly to men). So for women to be able to flaunt their athleticism is a Good Thing. But there may be limits to how appropriate it is for ballet.

I'm sure Jiminez was well aware of that risk, abatt. Yes, thank you, Drew, that is what I meant. As usual you say it much better. Regarding Copeland's book: It's not at all unusual these days for performers and athletes to write, or "write" autobiographies in mid-career or even earlier. They're not necessarily exercises in ego, although some do answer that description (looking at you, Kenneth Branagh). Not having read Copeland's, I can't judge hers, Sometimes there's useful information to be mined from them, sometimes not.

If you read the article volcanohunter linked to, it appears to suggest that the publicist was hired afterward. Timing, however, is not the point. Hallberg doesn't need a publicist for his career to prosper; he doesn't need to pose for lots of fashion magazines; he doesn't have to give a lot of interviews. He chooses to do all these things, presumably because he enjoys them, likes having a higher profile, and likes giving his art form a higher profile. Any insistence that if Copeland makes principal it will be because of her having pounded McKenzie into submission with her "self-promotion" is entirely a matter of opinion.

RIP. No direct connections, but they were as close as Waterford and Wicklow, or at least their relatives were. Haven't checked the dates, but they might even have been resident in Ireland at the same time for a few years when they were both kids. Chandler was Irish on his mother's side, and when he was a child she moved to England and they often vacationed in Waterford with family. Chandler was educated at an English public school and had interesting things to say about the differences between British English and American English. The book of Chandler's correspondence and writings edited by Sorley Walker with Dorothy Gardner, Raymond Chandler Speaking, isn't comprehensive but it's a delightful introduction to Chandler's letters - he was one of the best literary letter-writers ever, vivid and funny.

Maybe promising players like Taylor Townsend, Madison Keys, and Sloane Stephens would be where they are today without the example of the Williams sisters in front of them, but it's fair to ask if all of them would be there. The Williams sisters set an example for them, just as Althea Gibson was a model for them and was the recipient of fan letters from a very young Serena. Simply because there are other factors involved when it comes to succeeding in any costly, demanding, and competitive sphere doesn't mean that role models can't make a difference for young people. The number of African-American golfers on the Tour has actually declined since Woods became a star. That has more to do with historical trends in the sport than anything else. Ah, yes, those doubting "others." They are with us always, I fear.

And astonishingly influential. From the NYT obit posted by KarenAG: Thank you for posting this, KarenAG. So pleased that he was able to live such a long and rich life.

Likewise, lmspear. Thanks for the review, Kristen. Keep them coming, everybody!

I take your point, lmspear, but I don't think that anyone is insisting on tying the music down that literally. The original film also used older songs, as you note (increasingly that's what Fifties movie musicals were doing - a later picture, "Funny Face," to take only one example, was also built around old Gershwin tunes, with some interpolations) The point is that at this stage there's a certain cognitive dissonance involved in having a fictional character write a song as famous as "I Got Rhythm," and I do see why that would distract some people. More generally, Gershwin's music is timeless, but it is also of its period and identifiable as belonging to that period - nothing wrong with that. Somewhere a reviewer did note that there is an issue with assigning what are generally bright, urbane tunes - even the more melancholy ones - to the angst of the revised story and setting. You can certainly "repurpose" old songs, but it's worth asking if they are being used successfully, and in the right context.

Interesting, mimsyb. I notice that many of the reviewers are praising this production for improving on the "thin" plot of the film. (In fact the original story is not all that undernourished, but let it pass.) You aren't the only one to wonder about the "I Got Rhythm" thing:

Many thanks for posting, Cygnet. Did anyone see any of these productions?

Would love to get more reports from people who have seen it.

Not as hard to do as formerly. The competition ain't what it used to be. Interesting that two properties Alan Jay Lerner wrote for the movies have been translated to Broadway this season (although this is not Gigi's first time around). It used to be that the movies drew on Broadway for material, name value, and prestige. Not so much any more.