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Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty Fall Engagement at City Center

kbarber

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kbarber

kbarber

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Field trip!

You don't suppose it will tour elsewhere?

I expect it may well do! Surely once they get it across the pond it's easier to visit a few other North American venues.

I'm keeping an eye on various venue websites as well as Matthew Bourne's.

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puppytreats

puppytreats

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I was also thinking of seeing "Sleeping Beauty" at City Center, although I have not enjoyed Matthew Bourne's choreography in the past. Does anyone recommend it?

I saw it last night and, even though I have always been curious about what Bourne does, I was mostly disappointed. If you never liked Bourne's ballets, I'd say, skip this one.

I saw the Bourne SB tonight. I found the production entertaining, but did not find the dancing attractive or interesting. It reminded me of teenage amateur modern dance recitals. I have little experience with contemporary ballet or modern dance. Is the dancing in SB representative of contemporary ballet or modern dance in content, style, or quality? Based on tonight's SB, I wonder whether contemporary dancers ever straighten a knee, finger, or elbow, point a foot, lift a leg to 90 degrees in arabesque, achieve any elevation in a jump, or turn with a leg more than slightly lifted off the floor. I feel like I am missing something.

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sandik

sandik

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I have little experience with contemporary ballet or modern dance. Is the dancing in SB representative of contemporary ballet or modern dance in content, style, or quality? Based on tonight's SB, I wonder whether contemporary dancers ever straighten a knee, finger, or elbow, point a foot, lift a leg to 90 degrees in arabesque, achieve any elevation in a jump, or turn with a leg more than slightly lifted off the floor. I feel like I am missing something.

The short answer to your question is "yes, they do," but that's not really the issue here. For all that he often draws from ballet for the dramatic heart of his works, Bourne doesn't make ballets. Remember all the trouble some audiences had with his Swan Lake -- the more closely they compared it to the ballet of the same name, the more confused they became. My colleagues have been encouraged by their publications to come up with some kind of category to put Bourne's work in ("dansicle" still gives me the giggles) but for me, the noun is less important that looking at how he uses movement in general to create characters and tell their stories.

I haven't yet seen this production and so am not claiming anything about it in particular -- most of the reviews I've read with descriptive information (like T Tobias') are pretty positive, but as the young people say, your mileage may vary. You certainly don't have to like it -- I just hope that you aren't upset with it because you think it's a bad ballet, since it's not a ballet at all.

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YouOverThere

YouOverThere

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The Kennedy Center has offered a discount on tickets for (apparently) all the remaining performances (11/13-17). Any remaining seat in the orchestra can be had for $49 (there are a fewer cheaper seats in the top tier for some of the weeknight performances), except for the Friday matinee where orchestra seats will only cost $29. The secret code, which you didn't hear from me ;), is one-six-six-eight-six-two.

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California

California

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I received an e-mail with that Kennedy Center discount, so word is out there pretty widely. I saw this in New York and loved it. If you expect just another variation on the classic ballet, you'll be disappointed. But if you approach it as a theatrical work, with plenty of surprises, laughs, and lavish sets and costumes, it's great fun.

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lmspear

lmspear

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Another email offer:

The Kennedy Center is offering a special discount offer for $25 orchestra seats for Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty performances on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Friday matinee, November 15 at 1:30 p.m.

You can click the link below and your discount will appear automatically. If you call or stop by the Box Office for the discount, be sure to mention Offer Number "166787”

http://tinyurl.com/lmbyldb

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YouOverThere

YouOverThere

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Another email offer:

The Kennedy Center is offering a special discount offer for $25 orchestra seats for Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty performances on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Friday matinee, November 15 at 1:30 p.m.

You can click the link below and your discount will appear automatically. If you call or stop by the Box Office for the discount, be sure to mention Offer Number "166787”

http://tinyurl.com/lmbyldb

I wonder if the Kennedy Center sends different discount offers to different people depending on how many shows they've seen or if they've seen specific shows. My offer specifically mentioned my attendance at the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.

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YouOverThere

YouOverThere

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Another email offer:

The Kennedy Center is offering a special discount offer for $25 orchestra seats for Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty performances on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Friday matinee, November 15 at 1:30 p.m.

You can click the link below and your discount will appear automatically. If you call or stop by the Box Office for the discount, be sure to mention Offer Number "166787”

http://tinyurl.com/lmbyldb

The Kennedy Center website appears to be selling orchestra seats for $25 even without the code. But they are still selling seats in the 2nd tier for $39 and seats in the 1st tier for $65!

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lmspear

lmspear

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Following the URL automatically activates the discount offer that I posted.

You will receive offers based on past attendance.

In addition, the subscriptions manager for the KenCen has a special Yahoo group that he will send offers to when tickets are made available to him. This was the source of the offer I posted.

When times were better, and they just wanted bodies in the seats he even gave out comps on occassion, but that almost never happens now.

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lmspear

lmspear

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Very aggressive marketing, but the thing opens tonight and they have an awful lot of seats to sell. Does DC have a TKTS 1/2 price ticket sale booth like New York?

The centralized source for tickets in DC is called TicketPlace and Goldstar also offers 1/2 price tickets.

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mimsyb

mimsyb

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I thought MB's Swan Lake was much better than his SB. Most of the choreography for SB was boring and simplistic. This is not a production for a balletomane. I regret wasting my time and money on it when it was in New York.

Easily one of the best and most satisfying productions I've seen this year. Utterly original (yet there is certainly an air of reverence for the original), this is certainly not your grandma's SB.! But what terrific use of the music, and the story telling was clear and original. I thought the sets/costumes were superb and the choreography challenging and ravishing. I've seen it now five times and each time it gets better. Cast is thrilling!
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California

California

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I agree with mimsby. If you go expecting classical ballet, you'll be disappointed, but as a theatrical event, it's great. The story actually made dramatic sense (which the original SB never does). The production is full of very clever and often very funny touches -- like the (spoiler alert!) 100-year-sleep in a tent with hatchmarks and the contemporary tourists with their camera phones. The historical period costumes and sets were marvelously detailed. Just great fun.

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