abatt

According to the Kennedy Center website, Shipulina is replaced by Ekaterina Krysanova as Aegina for the Thu., Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sat., Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. performances.

I saw the Fairchild/DeLuz/Somogyi performance on Thurs. Fairchild has wonderful technique, but I didn't see any character development or differentiation among the three acts. In fact, there were times during the Vision scene when she started to smile as though she was still at her birthday party in Act I. DeLuz is always a virtuoso, and he was quite wonderful. The only big disappointment for me was Somogyi. She was fine, but not as good as either Mearns or Reichlin. She performed the role without much upper body expansiveness or flexibility. I loved Maria K's Carabosse. I went back for another Bouder Beauty this afternoon, and all of the performances from top to bottom were even better than on Wednesday. By the way, before the show it was announced that Kathryn Morgan was being replaced by Alina Dronova. I hope it's a minor ailment, and that Morgan's upcoming debut as Aurora is not in jeopardy. If anyone goes to the Sun. evening performance, please report back re whether Morgan performs. With regard to the poorly performed fish dives of the Stafford-Hyltin cast on Friday evening, I think Stafford was so disturbed about what happened during the fish dives that he simply lost his concentration during his solo, which immediately followed. Hyltin also seemed stunned, but she did not allow it to impact the rest of her performance.

I thought all of the performances last night were pretty wonderful. Bouder was a technical marvel. She also did a wonderful job in demonstrating different aspects of the character in the various acts. Mearns was a gorgeous Lilac Fairy. The flexibility of her upper body, in particular, stood out. Bluebird is a perfect role for Ulbricht. All of the smaller roles were well danced. The costumes in this production are among the most beautiful in the NYCB rep. This production highlights how awful the ABT version is in comparison. The audience looked pretty full, so I'm hoping the company makes lots of money from this run. I'm going back for many additional casts during the run.

It's too bad Scheller isn't getting a chance at Aurora. I think she would have done well with that role.

The Lady With The Little Dog (New Miroshnichenko Ballet) Music by Rodion Shchedrin Choreography by Alexey Miroshnichenko

Hi Bobbi. I'm glad you enjoyed the new ballet. I actually had the opposite reaction. For the most part I didn't like it. I thought the choreography was generally uninteresting and tedious. The love making scenes were loaded with stock cliches I have seen a million times before. There was some interesting lifts in the pdd with Hyltin and Veyette, but overall I was not impressed with this ballet. Also, I didn't see any emotional connection between Veyette and Hyltin. The audience reaction was tepid, especially for a premiere night. I even heard a boo- a relative rarity at the ballet. On a more positive note, Wendy was outstanding in Agon. I was tired so I skipped Cortege and headed home. I was also at Tuesday's performance. Bouder was fantastic as Firebird. I've seen her do this role many times over the years, but her performance has now become more nuanced. Fancy Free was fine, but it certainly did not come close to the outstanding performances of the past that I have seen at NYCB (with Woetzel and Tom Gold) and at ABT. De Luz has improved in the Prodigal role since his last attempt at the role some 2 years ago. However, in my opinion he needs more coaching in the scenes that occur after he has been stripped of all his belongings and crawls home. He is outstanding in the sections where he is the angry young man, though. Maria K. was, as usual, wonderful as the Siren.

Why is Maria K. cast as Carabosse? She would be a wonderful Lilac Fairy, a role she has performed in the past. Oh well.

Yes, I thought he was under-utilized as well. I thought that when Jock Soto retired, Albert might be cast more frequently. However, that never happened. In recent years, Evans became heavy and looked out of shape. To his credit, last year he looked very fit, as if something had finally motivated him to lose the extra weight and get into shape. It's a shame they have not brought back Red Angels recently, since that was created on Albert.

They are reviving Duo Concertante in the spring season. Nilas used to do that role all the time with Y. Borree.

This is a press release re Tharp's "Come Fly Away: "Tony nominees Keith Roberts and John Selya, who starred in the Alliance Theatre world premiere of Twyla Tharp's Frank Sinatra-inspired dance musical Come Fly Away, will repeat their performances on Broadway. Roberts and Selya, both veterans of Tharp's Movin' Out, will be joined by original principal dancers Alexander Brady, Rika Okamoto, Karine Plantadit, Matthew Dibble, Holley Farmer, Laura Mead and Charlie Neshyba-Hodges. The Come Fly Away ensemble will feature Kristine Bendul, Colin Bradbury, Alexander Brady, Todd Burnsed, Jeremy Cox, Carolyn Doherty, Amanda Edge, Cody Green, Heather Hamilton, Laurie Kanyok, Meredith Miles, Marielys Molina, Eric Otto, Justin Peck, Joel Prouty, Ashley Tuttle and Ron Todorowski." There are a lot of familiar names on this list!

I would have loved to see Neal do Apollo. He was never given the chance at NYCB. Neal did the role with Suzanne Farrell's company in 1999, and received a wonderful review in the NY Times from Anna Kisselgoff, who wrote: "Mr. Neal's New York debut in the title role of the Balanchine-Stravinsky ''Apollo'' (staged in the full version seen recently with the Kirov Ballet) was another triumph. His superb, muscular impetuousness flowed out of the choreography."

From the NY Times: Some of New York City Ballet’s top dancers will take their final bows this spring season. The company has announced that dates have been set for the farewell performances of long-time principal dancers Yvonne Borree, Albert Evans, Darci Kistler and Philip Neal as well as the principal conductor Maurice Kaplow. The season, which will feature performances of more than 40 ballets, will include new beginnings too. Ballets by the choreographers Melissa Barak, Mauro Bigonzetti, Peter Martins, Wayne McGregor, Benjamin Millepied, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon will all have their world premieres. Four commissioned scores will also make their debut, including a violin concerto composed by Esa-Pekka Salonen, for Mr. Martins’ work. Mr. Salonen will conduct the City Ballet Orchestra for all performances of that ballet. The season kicks off on April 29 with a gala and the architect Santiago Calatrava, who provided scenic designs for five of the season’s world premieres, will serve as a chairman of the event. Also on the bill, 22 works by George Balanchine and seven by Jerome Robbins. Ms. Kistler’s farewell performance will take place on the last day of the season, June, 27. She is scheduled to dance excerpts from Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Mr. Martins’ “Swan Lake.” Very sad that Philip Neal is retiring. I can't believe that Nilas Martins is not on the list of people retiring. This is nepotism at its worst.

Hi. I received a discount code via e mail from a theater organization for NYCB's R&J and Sleeping Beauty. Info is below: See Romeo + Juliet and Sleeping Beauty and Save 30% ROMEO + JULIET January 13, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23 This striking staging lays bare the crushing forces in the most romantic tragedy of all time. THE SLEEPING BEAUTY January 27 - February 7 A charming fairytale combining lavish sets and costumes and a cast of fanciful characters. Use code FLW10 and Save 30% in select sections of the house. Tickets: Click here to order online Call CenterCharge: 212-721-6500 Visit the David H. Koch Theater Box Office (62 St. & Columbus Ave.) Valid now through February 7, 2010 and subject to availability. Offer available only in Orchestra Rear, Second Ring, Third Ring, and Fourth Ring Rows A-K. Program and pricing subject to change without notice. Discount may not be combined with any other offers or used on previously purchased tickets, and may be revoked at any time. No refunds, no exchanges. Service charges apply to phone and internet sales. Code FLW10 must be mentioned at time of purchase.

I thought Helene Alexopolous at NYCB was a wonderful Siren- sexy and stealthy. I thought the worst Siren was Julie Kent at ABT.

I saw half of the opening night program on Tuesday. I skipped Naive and Sentimental Music. Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild were very good in Who Cares. However, I miss the highly romantic tinge that other interpreters have brought to the Man I Love segment. That seemed to be missing or diminished in Peck's performance, in my opinion. I thought some of the partnering in The Man I Love section could have been smoother, but I know that Peck was a last minute replacement for Morgan in that role, so I'm guessing that Peck and Fairchild didn't have much rehearsal time together. Peck's musicality and fleet footwork were marvelous in the Fascinating Rhythm section. Hyltin and Scheller were fine, but nothing remarkable in my opinion. It was fun to see the "new" section, "Clap Yo Hands" (I've never seen that section; according to the Times it has not been performed at NYCB in several decades.) I hope to catch Midsummer Night Dream this weekend and on Tues.

I went to the Joyce last night to see PNB. I enjoyed Opus 111 very much. For me, Tharp's work can be very hit and miss. I hated the Rabbit and Rogue she did for ABT, for example. Opus 111 was a definite hit in my opinion. All the dancers were marvelous. Fur Alina was a lovely trifle; Carla Korbes can make the most pedestrian choreography look good. It was nice to see her dance again. We miss you at NYCB Carla! I could have done without the pretentious gimmick of turning the lights on and off in Fur Alina. I hated Mopey. Mopey was dopey. I liked the Millipied work, but for me the Steve Reich music is very monotonous. I spotted Sebastian Marcovici in the audience, and Peter Boal was out and about saying hello to old friends during intermissions.

I hope this doesn't mean that they will be charging subscribers for all three seasons at once. If so, I will probably drop my subscriptions.

This may have implications for Morphoses. Wheeldon has relied heavily on NYCB dancers who are available to appear with his company during the fall. Also, I found the statement that the theater will be available for rental during Jan and June a hopeful sign that perhaps some day the Kirov, Bolshoi or Royal Ballet might pay us a visit in NYC.

Thanks for the info, NYSusan.

This is from the NY Times: "It’s been nearly 35 years since Frank Sinatra played the Great White Way, but Ol’ Blue Eyes is back: the singer’s music and voice will return to Broadway in a Twyla Tharp musical that its producers said on Monday will transfer to the Marquis Theater later this year. The musical, which is conceived, choreographed and directed by Ms. Tharp, was previously titled “Come Fly With Me” when it was presented at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta last fall, but will be called “Come Fly Away” for its Broadway run. (The show’s press representatives did not immediately offer an explanation for the name change, you dig?) Casting for “Come Fly Away” was not announced; it is to begin previews at the Marquis on March 1 and open on March 25."

"The company now has no fewer than 30 principals, though it is expected to announce some retirements during its remaining winter season." McCauley made the above statement in the article. He seems to be aware that additional retirements other than Kistler will be announced soon.

I was at the Met Opera house yesterday (for Der Rosenkavalier) and picked up a casting sheet. The dancers for the next two performances of Carmen will be Ashley Tuttle and Keith Roberts. There is no published info re subsequent performances yet. (Der Rosenkavalier was wonderful, and the production is gorgeous.)

I have not been able to find any casting info on the Joyce PNB season. If anyone has such info, please share.

No, the MET only broadcasts for free on the computer on certain nights, and always on the premiere night of a new production.

I was listening to the Met's new Carmen this evening on my computer. Everyone sounded wonderful, particularly Elena Garanca's Carmen. I'm looking forward to seeing this live at the MET next week. There was some booing of the production team, including Chris Wheeldon as choreographer (I wonder if anyone who was booing actually has a clue who Chris is, or was he merely booed because his curtain call followed the director and production designers.) Anyway, Wheeldon apparently choreographed a pdd at the opening of acts I, II and III. The announcer said that the dancers were Maria Kowroski and Michael Harvey. I didn't realize our own Maria K. from NYCB was cast in the production. I hope she is doing the role on the night I see it. If anyone has seen the production, please post.