"The Bright Stream" at the Kennedy Center

[bingham]

ABT just announced, in the ABT website, that Bright Stream will be performed at the Kennedy Center season in Jan,2011.

[Dale]

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE TO PERFORM

ALEXEI RATMANSKY’S THE BRIGHT STREAM

Company Premiere Set for January 21, 2011 at

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC

American Ballet Theatre will stage the Company Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream on January 21, 2011 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The ballet will be given four performances at the Kennedy Center through January 23, 2011. ABT will also perform The Bright Stream during its Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 16-July 9, 2011.

Alexei Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream received its World Premiere by the Bolshoi Ballet on April 18, 2003 with sets and costumes by Boris Messerer. A comic ballet in two acts, American Ballet Theatre’s Company Premiere of The Bright Stream, set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich, features sets by Yevgeny Monakhov and Illya Utkin and costumes by Yelena Markovska. The libretto, by Adrian Piotrovsky and Fyodor Lopukhov, tells the story of the members of a Russian farm collective in the 1930’s and their humorous interactions with a group of visiting performers during the harvest festival. The original production of The Bright Stream, with choreography by Lopukhov, was premiered on April 4, 1935 by the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater at the Maly Theatre in Leningrad.

“I am thrilled to add this wonderful production to ABT's repertoire,” said Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director. “It so reflects Alexei's inventiveness and good humor."

[richard53dog]

Good deal! I missed this when the Bolshoi brought it to NYC some years ago and was sorry afterwards. I'm happy to get another chance to see it without having to travel.

[abatt]

I'm a little surprised that ABT is adding this one to the rep. My recollection is that it didn't sell very well when the Bolshoi brought it to NY a few years ago.

[carbro]

I don't remember it selling any worse than other programs the Bolshoi brought, but remember, at that time, Ratmansky was an unknown to US audiences. Now, he has a large and growing following.

I think this will be a fine addition to ABT's rep.

[ksk04]

Wow, I hope OCPAC gets in on this for a tour here again. I loved it when the Bolshoi brought it here around when it premiered

[vipa]

The libretto, by Adrian Piotrovsky and Fyodor Lopukhov, tells the story of the members of a Russian farm collective in the 1930’s and their humorous interactions with a group of visiting performers during the harvest festival. The original production of The Bright Stream, with choreography by Lopukhov, was premiered on April 4, 1935 by the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater at the Maly Theatre in Leningrad.

“I am thrilled to add this wonderful production to ABT's repertoire,” said Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director. “It so reflects Alexei's inventiveness and good humor."

Hope it works out well for ABT. Does anyone know what kind of opportunities it might give to company members? By that I mean are are there roles for a number of principals & soloists or is it more of a 2 or 3 person show?

[ksk04]

Does anyone know what kind of opportunities it might give to company members? By that I mean are are there roles for a number of principals & soloists or is it more of a 2 or 3 person show?

There are two principal women and two principal men, I believe. There are some great clips of Maria Alexandrova and Nikolai Tsiskaridze (in drag as a sylph) on youtube if you do a search.

[Hans]

I am really looking forward to seeing this!

[emilienne]

Does anyone know what kind of opportunities it might give to company members? By that I mean are are there roles for a number of principals & soloists or is it more of a 2 or 3 person show?

There are two principal women and two principal men, I believe. There are some great clips of Maria Alexandrova and Nikolai Tsiskaridze (in drag as a sylph) on youtube if you do a search.

In addition, there are four or five juicy solo roles:

The dacha-dwelling couple trying to recapture their youth (two character actors)

The accordion player and his attempt tryst with one of the collective workers (one male and one female soloist)

The farm workers who decide to have a little fun with the accordion player (two male dancers)