SandyMcKean

I'll be there opening night (and a bunch of other nights). What's the best way to report this announcement immediately? Tweeter comes to mind, but better would be to post to this thread I guess. Problem is that I've never attempted to run BA or Twitter on my iPhone. I guess I could set up my iPhone to be able to post to this thread. I'll work on that before Friday. P.S. As to the announcement itself, my guess is that someone is coming back.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! My most favorite ballet......finally! Even tho I knew PNB was doing it in Victoria this year, it never occured to me that we would get it on our stage. I'm a happy man!

Tickets to this 2/9 performance were snapped up very quickly after PNB 1st announced the legendary Pantastico/Postelwaite guest cast. There are tickets left for this 2/9 evening performance, but only marginal seats. OTOH, seeing other casts is enhanced due to PNB's addition of 2 "extra" performances, both matinees. One is on the Sunday of the 1 week, and the second is on the Saturday of the 2nd week. Since there are no subscribers for these performances, there are lots of good seats.

I saw Chelsea Adomaitis as Flora.

sandik, What a terrific concise description of the typical Artistic Director's responsibilities! (I'm saving it.)

And thanks to YOU for pointing out that each tile in that ending collage is in turn its own video (by clicking on it). I had not known how that works. (BTW, it seems the tiles, and therefore the videos, change from play to play.)

Pretty cute! In these dark financial days for ballet companies, PNB remains upbeat and non-cynical. Our gray and drizzle-y weather here in the NW seems to protect us somehow.

The Met's official date is 1/16 at 6:30pm (Helene, I will be going). However, a few theaters show the encores on their own schedule; for example, here in the NW there is at least one theater that shows the encores at 1pm on Sundays......so it's worth checking around.

I'm going to have to wait until the encore performance in January. I had planned on going to the superb AMC theater I usually go to, but we had this big party last night at our house. I got to bed late, and if the truth be told, I was quite tipsy by that time. When I gained consciousness this morning and looked at the clock, it was 9:20am......I rolled over and punted on an attempt to make the 9:55am start. I'm oh so sad.....but the party was great!!

abatt, I don't know how anyone could see the costumes in Ballo and not be impressed with the quality (or dare I say it: lavishness) of the materials and workmanship. True, the sets were mimimal, but I don't need an Aida every time. As always, art is in the eye of the beholder ......I loved that "vaudeville routine", and I thought it had to be staged as "over the top" to work; furthermore, I thought the routine fit well the rather strange mixed feeling that Verdi put, quite intentionally, into this opera (part tragic and part comedy....both well expressed in the music itself).

I can never decide what about her I love more: her spectacular voice, or her powerful acting ability. She is a marvel. As an aside....a couple of years ago I went to a "lecture" given during one of the "Ring" weeks here in Seattle. This particular program was an interview with Stephanie Blythe (who was singing Fricka and one of the Norns). There were maybe 500 (more?) people in the large auditorium type hall. Within 5 minutes she had us all eating out of her hand. It was like we were all sitting around in her living room shooting the breeze. Her naturalness, authenticity, and humor were remarkable. She even made it comfortable for her and us to kid around about what it was like for her to grow up fat (a word she was the first to use). She is so comfortable in her own skin!

Helene and sandik have given you excellent input. Allow me to add one small "BTW"....if you're in Seattle in June, with a little luck, you can experience a spring day (most gorgeous). If so, be sure to walk around Seattle Center a bit before the performance or at intermission. You might catch a whiff of why we all love it here so much (altho you're more likely to get gray and rain ) .

I am a fan of Horovstovsky's, but I found most of the other singers even more amazing.........in particular (no surprise I suppose) Stephanie Blythe. I loved the production. I have rarely seen a director move folks around on an opera stage so often, but at the same time with so much grace and "natural-ness". This can't be easy given Verdi's many "out of the blue" scorings of suddenly the chorus sings, then suddenly the chorus is gone. I thought the early 20th century setting worked extremely well -- the costumes in particular were riveting. I also liked the "it's all happening in Gustavo's mind" aspect to the production. A shout-out to Kathleen Kim too for playing Oscar with an over-the-top playfulness that took real courage (IMHO) throwing herself hook, line, and sinker into this staging. Had she done anything less, the part might well have floundered. My one regret was the libretto.....it doesn't work very well for me....especially Gustavo who seems to me to be hopelessly naive. How many Jesus Christs can there be?? OTOH, the music is glorious.....I've rarely enjoyed Verdi music and singing as much as in this opera (my first time hearing/seeing it........I thank the universe for Met HD!). P.S. Given the photo above, I do have to admit that Horovstovsky is a hunk.....(and this is coming from a dyed in the wool male hetrosexual ). P.P.S. Incidentially, what do others here think of Horovstovsky's interview during the intermission.....what the heck was he doing? Making some sort of joke I presume, but for the life of me I can't figure out what.

That makes a lot more sense! (OTOH, you are still a wonder...)

You just saw 12 performances of the Nutcracker......did I get that right?? Helene, you are truly a wonder!

Portland is a funny city town...................and in those last 2 words is the story.

I too am shocked and saddened. I am able to go to Portland occasionally to see OBT, and I've always enjoyed it. OBT is a fine company. In my mind, I've given credit to Stowell for much of that. I can only imagine financial hard times.....which nearly always creates suboptimal strategies. I have little doubt that Stowell will land on his feet somewhere. He's certainly well connected in both Seattle and San Francisco.

I've no time at the moment to make comments since I went to last night's opening of these 4 premieres, and I am just about to leave to see both the 2:00pm and 7:30pm performances, but I just want to get this quick comment in. There is much to talk about with these pieces -- regarding both choreographers and dancers, but one item that might not have been obvious was what I consider to be break-out performances by William Lin-Yee. I've been a fan of William's, but what I saw last night as he danced in 3 of the 4 pieces was just remarkable. I thought he moved beyond what I thought was his "natural" role. His artistry, musicality, grace, and presence all seemed to take a huge leap forward to my eyes. If he is in a cast you see, watch how this big man moves in spite of his size. He may just be one of those few male dancers who are both big, muscular, and graceful.

......and it is available on Netflix. I just got it in the mail, but I haven't watched it yet.

Hulu's monthly fee (ongoing) is about $8 (of course, that gives you access to hundreds of shows and thousands of episodes). One cool set of shows is Saturday Night Live. They have every SNL ever broadcast. I can easily watch any show I please from the last 30+ years, at any time I please. When I first discovered this, I watched show #1 which was hosted by George Carlin (1974??). Next I watched one hosted by Lilly Tomlin. I was interesting to see how the format of SNL hasn't changed all that much in 30+ years......altho the production values are far higher now.

There are commercials all right.....and one can't avoid them either. It is ironic that altho I consider internet TV a step forward, it also finally solves the content provider's problem of commercial skipping. Until recently I watched nearly all TV by recording whatever show on a PVR (hard drive based device). This made it super easy to skip commercials (all I had to do was push a button twice and voila I skipped 60 seconds). But when streaming, there is no way to skip the commercial. OTOH, these new internet based "networks" like Hulu have implemented this in a smart way. The commercials are short (typically 30 seconds or less) and usually not too frequent (3 per 30 minute show). Also the commercials are rather offbeat and can be quite entertaining (in a counter-culture sort of way). Hulu is also smart enough to remember where you are in the show, so if you stop in the middle and watch the rest later, Hulu knows how to resume at the exact spot you left off (and it can do this even if you are watching on another device or from 1000 miles away). Cleverly, Hulu also remembers when you've already seen a commercial and doesn't repeat them. So for example, if I'm watching The Daily Show, and see the commercial at 10 minutes into the show, and then decide to go back several minutes (or even back to the beginning), Hulu will not show any commercial at the10 minute mark since I had already seen it. These techniques make the forced commercial watching far less painful than it is on traditional TV. So far, I find I don't mind having to "sit thru" the commercials.

I don't understand why you are making the distinction between watching a show where the signal comes in via a cable vs the signal coming in via the internet. In the "olde" days perhaps this made sense, but with today's technology, I can't see the difference. I get all my TV via the internet. I have a media server that connects to the internet. Using that connection, I use the service HuluPlus to view Breaking Point on my large flat screen TV in high definition just like someone who gets the show via a cable (except I do it cheaper and on my schedule). Also note that such media servers are often built into current models of DVD players, so they are relatively common. So.....who cares how someone watches it....cable or internet....a viewer is a viewer and as such ought to count in the ratings.

I do think this has been, and may still be from time to time, a valid criticism of Jonathan; however, I took sandik to mean that these days Jonathan has greatly improved his ability to project the human ("person") emotions and human predicament that the choreography and/or music is attempting to communicate. That's just the shift I think Jonathan has been so successful in accomplishing in recent seasons..........the "person" he projects in the past was too much his personality (as wonderful as it is), but now that takes a back seat to what the piece is demanding he be in service to the piece. In a word, his dancing, though always technically skilled, has now matured. And as I said before that is something I greatly admire.

Perfectly said. Poretta has always been a spectacular technical dancer, and his enthusiasm has always been infectious; but in recent years, IMHO, he has added a depth, a feeling for humanity, a seriousness that has elevated him to even more of a star than he has always been. And when you see him just as a "normal person" at a post performance Q&A (or other venue) he is always so open and willing to "bring the audience into his world".....almost like he was sitting in your living room just shooting the breeze. He's a person I greatly admire.

Did you not like Wotan and Loge's descent into Niebelheim?? This LePage production does that better than anything I can imagine. P.S. And there was one aspect of the "planks" that no standard set can ever do.....the speed with which the "set" could be radically changed to fit the mood of the story or of the music.