February 2023 Romeo & Juliet Casting at Kennedy Center

[DPell]

11 hours ago, bingham said:

Does the Met have a similar Digital Program during the ABT season? It would be very interesting.

During the opera season The Met has digital programs. I wish they did the same thing for the ABT season.

[volcanohunter]

53 minutes ago, California said:

A group of us at one performance wondered if we might ask Ratmansky for his autograph as he was sitting nearby - but what could he sign? Our tickets?

This is a really good point. And at some performances I've attended, there haven't been physical tickets. Furthermore, if the ticket is on the Ticketmaster app, it's impossible to take a screenshot of the barcode for quicker retrieval, and I've been in a situation, where the code stubbornly refused to be scanned.

I guess we're expected to ask for group selfies instead of autographs now.

[LIslandArts]

I was in attendance tonight (2/16) and OH MY what a show! Hurlin/Royal/Maloney were the principals, Patrick Frenette was Benvolio, Roman Zhurbin as Tybalt (the defining one of this generation) and Alexandra Basmagy delivered a heart wrenching Lady Capulet.

Hurlin was jubilant & mesmerizing throughout.  I’ll be honest I initially had my doubts about her Juliet because I’ve always seen her in bravura roles like Kitri & all the Ratmansky ballets. Yet she was surprisingly tender and lyrical—especially in the balcony and bedroom duets.  

Calvin’s Romeo has vastly improved since the Met.  Perhaps this new director has brought some fresh guidance to the company, because I for one thought he was spot on tonight. I saw the galant & chivalrous nature of Robert Hill’s Romeo (a former leading male dancer with ABT) in his approach. 

Maloney was everything Mercutio was supposed to be—boyish, charming, ready to scrap at a moment’s notice. From having to pull out of his debut last season (shoulder injury) to this year, you’d never have figured this was his first show! His chemistry with his ladies and cast mates was genuine.  Some jumps could have been a tad higher, but one can easily chalk it up to first show nerves & general fatigue. Only up from here.

Frenette delivered quite possibly the most moving rendition of Benvolio I’ve seen in recent memory. The path he chose to put his character on from pure love of his friends to utter ruin and devastation (I could hear the sniffles and soft sobs from my seat…haunting) at the sight of Mercutio’s death. His technique and finesse was on full display tonight, and I can only hope a change in his status in the company comes soon—he and Maloney should have been promoted post show! 

I wish I could stay for more shows this week, but NY calls be back. I’m hoping to make it for Joffrey Ballet performing Possokhov’s “Anna Karenina” (it’ll be my first time seeing the Joffrey) 

P.S the Juliet friends were a highlight as well. Such promising young ladies with the most polished dancing. 

[MoMo]

1 hour ago, LIslandArts said:

I was in attendance tonight (2/16) and OH MY what a show! Hurlin/Royal/Maloney were the principals, Patrick Frenette was Benvolio, Roman Zhurbin as Tybalt (the defining one of this generation) and Alexandra Basmagy delivered a heart wrenching Lady Capulet.

Hurlin was jubilant & mesmerizing throughout.  I’ll be honest I initially had my doubts about her Juliet because I’ve always seen her in bravura roles like Kitri & all the Ratmansky ballets. Yet she was surprisingly tender and lyrical—especially in the balcony and bedroom duets.  

Calvin’s Romeo has vastly improved since the Met.  Perhaps this new director has brought some fresh guidance to the company, because I for one thought he was spot on tonight. I saw the galant & chivalrous nature of Robert Hill’s Romeo (a former leading male dancer with ABT) in his approach. 

Maloney was everything Mercutio was supposed to be—boyish, charming, ready to scrap at a moment’s notice. From having to pull out of his debut last season (shoulder injury) to this year, you’d never have figured this was his first show! His chemistry with his ladies and cast mates was genuine.  Some jumps could have been a tad higher, but one can easily chalk it up to first show nerves & general fatigue. Only up from here.

Frenette delivered quite possibly the most moving rendition of Benvolio I’ve seen in recent memory. The path he chose to put his character on from pure love of his friends to utter ruin and devastation (I could hear the sniffles and soft sobs from my seat…haunting) at the sight of Mercutio’s death. His technique and finesse was on full display tonight, and I can only hope a change in his status in the company comes soon—he and Maloney should have been promoted post show! 

I wish I could stay for more shows this week, but NY calls be back. I’m hoping to make it for Joffrey Ballet performing Possokhov’s “Anna Karenina” (it’ll be my first time seeing the Joffrey) 

P.S the Juliet friends were a highlight as well. Such promising young ladies with the most polished dancing. 

Thank you for the lovely review. I have given your review to Patrick. I agree with it. He is modest and self effacing, so he was very pleased. Lots of good artists and actors at ABT. Thank you. 

[maps]

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Edited February 21, 2023 by maps
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[FauxPas]

Just a tantalizing taste of Herman Cornejo as Romeo from a rehearsal with Cassandra Trenary:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CovIMPrDwba/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
 

Herman had to cancel his Romeo with Trenary last summer during the Met season due to injury.  Calvin Royal III subbed for him.  I am glad that Cornejo is having such an Indian summer because he was stuck as Mercutio,  Golden Idol, Benno and peasant pas de deux for WAYYY too long before McKenzie started giving him premier danseur principal roles. 

[DPell]

Per ABT’s story on Instagram, Jake Roxander is debuting Mercutio today. I look forward to hearing reports if anyone is in the audience.

[YouOverThere]

16 minutes ago, DPell said:

Per ABT’s story on Instagram, Jake Roxander is debuting Mercutio today. I look forward to hearing reports if anyone is in the audience.

It was super tempting this morning when a ticket became available, I would have been in compliance with CDC guidelines, which only require isolating for days 1-5 (1st day of symptoms is day 0) and then masking for days 6-10, but in violation of Kennedy Center policy, which requires being symptom-free for 7 days. I'm guessing that the KC policy, and the similarly restrictive Lincoln Center policy (need to have gone at least 10 days since testing positive), are based on not counting on people who should be wearing masks to actually wear them. I would have been far more likely to infect people at the National Symphony concert I attended the evening before my symptoms started than I would have been today (fortunately, I wore a mask at the concert).

[Papagena]

On 2/16/2023 at 11:52 PM, LIslandArts said:

Alexandra Basmagy delivered a heart wrenching Lady Capulet.

 

A great Lady Capulet is such and underrated asset for this production. Sometimes it feels like dancers treat the role like a day off. 

I too have really enjoyed Basmagy's LC - she brings some major, very believable Italian noblewoman energy to it.