Natalia Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 We're suddenly being showered by balletic DVD releases! Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, starring Lauren Cuthbertson, can now be pre-ordered on US Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Alices-Adventuress-Wonderland-Talbot/dp/B005LVEFTA/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1317405265&sr=1-1 ...or, even better, order via the Amazon link at the top of this website, which woudl be beneficial to BalletAlert. The other link can give you the item #. Link to comment
Rosa Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks for the heads up, Natalia! I was hoping it would be released on this side of the pond. Link to comment
Birdsall Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Loved the second act....thought the first act sort of dragged, but the second act was fun and fast moving. The Queen of Hearts' Rose Adagio was a spoof of Aurora's Rose Adagio which was cute. The sets were modern yet told the story and worked wonderfully. Lauren Cuthbertson acts the role well. Overall, an enjoyable mixture of modern and classical ballet. It doesn't take your breath away like classical ballet (although there are impressive moments of dancing), but it is quite enjoyable and fun which I am sure was the whole point since it is Alice's Adventures.....now waiting for the Little Mermaid from SF Ballet!!! Link to comment
Natalia Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 I am so sorry to have wasted money on this. More kiddie pantomime than anything else; we finally got some 'real dancing' towards the end of Act I. Act II has the clever 'Mock Rose Adagio' for the Queen of Hearts and a nice pdd for the lead couple. Most Importantly for me: Whoever cast the matronly Lauren Cuthbertson as a young teen should be shot; TOTALLY wrong for the character. This sort of role calls for a gorgeous smallish soubrette with a doll-like face, a-la Elena Obraztsova or (in the RB) Sarah Lamb or even Alina Cojocaru who, although older, is very doll-like and fresh-faced. Link to comment
annamicro Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I am so sorry to have wasted money on this. Many people say that it's better as DVD than live. Lucky you to have only bought the DVD. I wasted days off to travel to London. Most Importantly for me: Whoever cast the matronly Lauren Cuthbertson as a young teen should be shot; TOTALLY wrong for the character. This sort of role calls for a gorgeous smallish soubrette with a doll-like face, a-la Elena Obraztsova or (in the RB) Sarah Lamb or even Alina Cojocaru who, although older, is very doll-like and fresh-faced. None of the dancers you are proposing is British : the press coverage pushing in this direction was huge. Lamb was dancing in the second cast, though. A thing that I didn't understand is why Alice in this "show" is supposed to be 15-16 but Cuthberson is acting as a 8 years old. Both Yanowsky and Rojo were great in the Rose Adagio... by far the best thing of the work, IMO. Link to comment
annamicro Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 now waiting for the Little Mermaid from SF Ballet!!! If you enjoyed Alice, be aware that Neumeier's Littele Mermaid is very different and inspired to the "real "story: very tragical, not funny at all. And not for childrens :-) Link to comment
Natalia Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Yes, annamicro, at least I didn't waste airfare, hotel, etc. on this when it premiered. (I felt that sort of pain earlier. Exhibit A: Ratmansky Cinderella at the Mariinsky in 2001.) Isn't Sarah Lamb British, even though she grew up in Boston? Even if not, there are some lovely, petite, less matronly British soloists and demi-soloists down the ranks, if 'Certified British' was their main goal. Yes, I saw the German version of Little Mermaid. Agree on the adult theme making it too risque for kids. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 now waiting for the Little Mermaid from SF Ballet!!! If you enjoyed Alice, be aware that Neumeier's Littele Mermaid is very different and inspired to the "real "story: very tragical, not funny at all. And not for childrens :-) I grew up with a Russian cartoon as a baseline for "The Little Mermaid", and it contained the original story from beggining to the end, incluiding the suicide sequence. It was very beautiful, and then one day, as an adult, I saw the distorted WD ending, which I've never been able to truly digest. Not everything has to be funny, or fun...kids can certainly learn also, if well prepared, from the beauty of tragic fairy tales.. Link to comment
diane Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Yes, Cristian, I agree with you there. There are times and there are "fashions" in what one tells children, and of course there are cultural differences as well. My own children were always fascinated with the macabre and the dark, though they were truly very "dainty" little girls. I suppose these things help them to work through their fears and their own feelings, too. Key words, as you mention: well-prepared. I would of course like very much to see both of these - the "Alice" as well as the "Little Mermaid". (though I may wait until the price has gone down a wee bit...) I am happy that not everything is as WD does it. -d- Link to comment
Birdsall Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I am so sorry to have wasted money on this. More kiddie pantomime than anything else; we finally got some 'real dancing' towards the end of Act I. Act II has the clever 'Mock Rose Adagio' for the Queen of Hearts and a nice pdd for the lead couple. Most Importantly for me: Whoever cast the matronly Lauren Cuthbertson as a young teen should be shot; TOTALLY wrong for the character. This sort of role calls for a gorgeous smallish soubrette with a doll-like face, a-la Elena Obraztsova or (in the RB) Sarah Lamb or even Alina Cojocaru who, although older, is very doll-like and fresh-faced. I guess I am more tolerant of totally wrong looks for the performing arts. You can have a huge 300 pound soprano singing Salome who is supposed to be a sexy 16 year old girl with the voice of Isolde in opera. Of course, such a soprano usually goes off stage while a dancer does the Dance of the 7 Veils (strip tease). In more recent times they have cast svelte sopranos in this role of Salome for better dramatic results, but the voice usually has no power which is a huge let down for opera lovers, because Salome needs to have power in reserve in the voice to ride such a huge orchestra. Anyway, I am so used to absurd situations and having to suspend disbelief, so Cuthbertson seemed fine as Alice for me. Of course, ballet is a different animal, so I guess it is more common to have the bodies match the role. Link to comment
Birdsall Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 now waiting for the Little Mermaid from SF Ballet!!! If you enjoyed Alice, be aware that Neumeier's Littele Mermaid is very different and inspired to the "real "story: very tragical, not funny at all. And not for childrens :-) Annamicro, thank you for the warning, and, yes, I have read that the Little Mermaid ballet is more for adults, and I actually like that approach (at least on paper before I see the ballet). I love the original story which is actually quite sad and completely unlike Disney's version. By today's standards the original Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale seems like an adult story. I have always loved it and love most adaptations of the Little Mermaid story (Rusalka is the opera version). I was happier to see the mermaid's statue in Copenhagen's harbor than the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum in Rome (the Little Mermaid statue impressed me more than the other two things). I don't know why the story holds a fascination for me. I think it has to do with the fact that she attempts to be someone she is not for some guy who isn't worth it. I have read there is a gay subtext to the ballet, and I think most gay men do feel that it is painful to pretend to be someone they are not, so it speaks to a gay sensibility. I don't know if I will like the end result however, so I will watch it and let you know when I get it! Link to comment
Natalia Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 ...Cuthbertson seemed fine as Alice for me. Of course, ballet is a different animal, so I guess it is more common to have the bodies match the role. I understand, Bart. Alas, it's not only the body. One is either a soubrette or 'princessy' ballerina or one is not. That said, ballerinas who do not fall into that category can be wonderful in other types of roles. Link to comment
Birdsall Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 ...Cuthbertson seemed fine as Alice for me. Of course, ballet is a different animal, so I guess it is more common to have the bodies match the role. I understand, Bart. Alas, it's not only the body. One is either a soubrette or 'princessy' ballerina or one is not. That said, ballerinas who do not fall into that category can be wonderful in other types of roles. I have to say that one of the pluses in ballet is that most of the time the body matches the role. I agree with you that there seemed to be much less dancing in Alice than in most ballets. That was disappointing, but I did not know what to expect with this ballet, and since it entertained me I was okay with it. I like classical ballet the best, but I enjoy watching how new ballets attempt to wed classical ballet with more modern dance. I enjoyed the caterpillar and leaping frogs and, of course, the Sleeping Beauty spoof. Overall, I agree it is not a ballet to fly to London and see but if it were playing in my own city I would go see it live. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 now waiting for the Little Mermaid from SF Ballet!!! If you enjoyed Alice, be aware that Neumeier's Littele Mermaid is very different and inspired to the "real "story: very tragical, not funny at all. And not for childrens :-) I grew up with a Russian cartoon as a baseline for "The Little Mermaid", and it contained the original story from beggining to the end, incluiding the suicide sequence. It was very beautiful... And here it is, thanks to the magic of Youtube..! Link to comment
pherank Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (complete) Royal Ballet Lauren Cuthbertson, Sergei Polunin, Edward Watson, Zenaida Yanowsky, Steven Macrae Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aX9QDD5DeU Link to comment
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