ABT Romeo & Juliet: Met 2023

[nysusan]

1 hour ago, bingham said:

Any reports of last night’s R and J. How was J Gorak and B Hoven?

I thought last nights R&J was very low energy - especially the first act. I love Bell and although he was great technically I didn't really see the same sweeping romantic lines I remember from Gomes, Hallberg or even Bolle. There was very little chemistry between him & Teuscher. She, again, had technique to spare and while her dancing was pretty for me it never went beyond the surface - I never felt the instant unbridled love between them and the balcony pdd was pretty underwhelming. She was much better in the last act -  her Juliet conveyed extreme desperation and became quite compelling - but a great act 3 and a dull act 1 just don't add up to much in my book.

 

I was so happy to see Gorak and Hoven. Both did well and I thought Gorak looked great - don't know why they havent been casting him. Gonzales was a good Mercutio but not a great one, I can't wait to see Roxander take on that role. Forster's Tybalt was very menacing and a good match opposite Bell's Romeo. It was wonderful to see Abrera onstage again but Lady C isn't a dancing role. I didn't stay for bows so I don't know if she got any kind of a tribute but I wouldn't expect one under these circumstances.

[bingham]

Thanks Susan.

[ABT Fan]

2 hours ago, nysusan said:

I was so happy to see Gorak and Hoven. Both did well and I thought Gorak looked great - don't know why they havent been casting him. Gonzales was a good Mercutio but not a great one, I can't wait to see Roxander take on that role. Forster's Tybalt was very menacing and a good match opposite Bell's Romeo. It was wonderful to see Abrera onstage again but Lady C isn't a dancing role. 

Gorak does pretty well in this role, he’s done it for years, and it’s also of minimal consequence for him - no partnering, which is a continual weakness of his, little solo work, and it’s largely overshadowed by Romeo and Mercutio. A good role for someone to debut in or for someone who needs opportunities. Many of us have mentioned the numerous young, talented men in the corps who are more than ready for bigger and better roles (and promotions) and a lot of them are getting said roles, roles that have gone to Gorak in the past. And, I think a bunch of them are better dancers than Gorak and show more promise, at least at this point. Not looking to open this subject up again as we’ve discussed this ad nauseum (re Gorak’s lack of development despite the chances he got)  but from my viewpoint I’m glad these other dancers are getting cast instead. They need the opportunities more.

I also can’t wait to see Roxander as Mercutio, one of the corps men I’m referencing above. I think he has a huge career ahead of him. Forster’s Tybalt is one of the best I’ve seen.

[abatt]

Bell replaces Stearns on thursday

[onxmyxtoes]

Bell is becoming the new workhorse! I guess it's good to have young men in the principal roster who can fill in when needed. He was a great Romeo on Monday. 

[Papagena]

4 hours ago, nysusan said:

I was so happy to see Gorak and Hoven. Both did well and I thought Gorak looked great - don't know why they havent been casting him. 

I assume it's just because Jaffe has control over casting at this point (outside of LWFC), and if she's going to decide on promotions for the next generation of male soloists, she's probably testing them all out as much as possible. Smart move. Rough for Gorak and Hoven.

My only sure bet would be on Curley (especially after Alastair Macauley's glowing mention of in his recent ABT posts), but Ive been very wrong in the past. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Papagena

[abatt]

Carmago was fantastic last night.  Not much time to post comments, but the quality of his dancing was breathtaking.  His solo work in the balcony scene reminded me of Corella and Bocca.  He is also an ardent romantic lead.  

[maps]

delete

Edited July 27, 2023 by maps
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[LIslandArts]

15 hours ago, onxmyxtoes said:

Bell is becoming the new workhorse! I guess it's good to have young men in the principal roster who can fill in when needed. He was a great Romeo on Monday. 

Frenette was once again nothing short of astounding in last night’s show alongside Camargo/Boylston/Klein. Also I discovered from FB that he had TWO shows of Benvolio, back to back? Originally my program had Han listed (anyone know what happened? I hope he is okay) but the announcer mentioned Frenette instead. No complaints here, his chemistry with the cast and characters somehow improved from when I last saw him do this at the Kennedy Center. I truly believe he has some of the best jumps amongst the men in the company. 

Jonathan Klein as well…my, my. What a fantabulous Mercutio he is. Prominence, elegance, gusto, and loads of charm. He had the Met wrapped around his finger last night and seemed to be having the time of his life. He and Frenette had been sitting in the corps for far too long and seeing them both seize their opportunities was inspired. 

We all love the new kids like Roxander—and for obvious reasons!—however Klein and Frenette reminded everyone in that show last night they are forced to be reckoned with, no matter how long they’ve had to wait. 

This was my last show of the season, I must say this felt like a homecoming for Ballet Theatre. Passing by the stage door on a Wednesday used to leave me fearful for the longevity of this company at the Met, but all the budding fans and students lined up showed me this company has new life. I believe with Jaffe at the helm we are on the cusp of a golden age for this company. 

Edited July 20, 2023 by LIslandArts

[abatt]

IATSE is threatening a strike starting this weekend, potentially shutting down all Broadway shows.  Are the stagehands employed by ABT through the Met part of that union.  

[Rick]

1 hour ago, abatt said:

IATSE is threatening a strike starting this weekend, potentially shutting down all Broadway shows.  Are the stagehands employed by ABT through the Met part of that union.  

Yes. 
“ABT Crew is represented by IATSE.”

https://www.abt.org/the-company/staff/

[WLH]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/iatse-broadway-league-pink-contract-agreement-1235540420/

[Josette]

How were the Juliets for the two Wednesday performances?

[LIslandArts]

20 minutes ago, Josette said:

How were the Juliets for the two Wednesday performances?

I found Boylston to be the more well rounded and expressive Juliet, however Hurlin’s lines and musicality were uncanny. Some of Hurlin’s mannerism and character choices seemed too sassy for my taste, yet not so much that would detract from her overall wonderful show. I’m confident her Juliet will only grow from here—this is her first year. 
 

I’m also delighted Boylston finally had a substantial and stable partner in Camargo. Watching her dance with vastly shorter men and inferior partners over the years was dreadful.

Edited July 20, 2023 by LIslandArts

[abatt]

I agree with the above comments about Boylston.  She did a wonderful job.  Hurlin's debut was very good, but the characterization will improve over time.  I particularly liked Hurlin's deeply arched back.

Also, Zhurbin is a superb Tybalt.  I loved his acting, and his decision to die with his sword in  hand.  It summed up the nature of this character  perfectly.

Teuscher dancing is very pretty, but it never caught fire.  Also, she does not have the flexibility in her back, which sometimes robs the performance of dramatic impetus. 

Calvin Royal has difficulty in one of the big iconic lifts in the first act.  It took me out of the story.  Overall, as between the three men I've seen this season (Bell, Carmago and Royal), Royal's dancing was the weakest of the three men.  

I hope next time they do R&J that Skylar Brandt can get a shot at Juliet. 

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by abatt

[MarzipanShepherdess]

I was impressed by Hurlin's debut. She came out very "Hurricane Hurlin" and I felt her entrance scene was overdone (it looked too manic), but her performance really grew on me. She gave her Juliet a fully realized arc from boisterous girl to smitten admirer to passionate lover and finally into deep grief. She acted "big": I could see some saying it was over-the-top (like when in her final scene she mimed screaming upon discovering Romeo's death, or sprang in a leap off the stairs in the balcony scene) but for me it worked and felt moving. Her scenes with Juliet's parents, Paris, and the nurse were particularly excellent (and heartbreaking). Hurlin has a real gift in how she interacts with everyone she's on stage with in a very precise and nuanced way, like how she moved through the crowd in her Giselle mad scene responding in different ways with Giselle's mother, Hilarion, Albrecht, etc. The way she recoiled from the nurse in Act III, the way she pleaded with Lady Capulet, the way she scrubbed Paris' touch off her skin with her hands...all very impactful. She really fully inhabited the role, in my eyes. And like @abattI found her lush backbends to be so gorgeous. 

I think she and Calvin could be great together (they can both be so emotive) but he was really having an off day. I enjoyed his Romeo last year very much; in that performance all the emotional nuance and beauty he delivered in the role made up for the fact that he didn't nail all the technical elements. But yesterday was just a weaker performance all around, dramatically and technically. He seemed inhibited and unable to deliver what I know he's capable of. Low energy. Some of the jumps and swordplay, particularly, just looked really listless and sloppy. Hopefully he's back in the fall on his usual level, he can be a joy to watch.

Roman Zhurbin as Tybalt was the other highlight for me. He should be the one teaching all the ABT guys how to wield those swords! He was such a menacing, potent Tybalt, my eyes were drawn to him in every scene he was in. 

I'm so bummed to not have gotten to see Stella as Lady Capulet again, but Claire Davison was a fine, very imperious LC (her interpretation felt quite in line with how she danced Mama Elena in LWFC). 

[laurel]

After experiencing Daniel Camargo’s fantastic performance in Like Water for Chocolate, I ran to see him in last night’s Romeo & Juliet, with the added bonus of Jonathan Klein as Mercutio.  Both men brought the house down with their remarkable dancing, with Klein receiving continued applause throughout the Mandolin dance.  His dancing was beautifully smooth and consistent, and he made the choreography seem easy as he flowed through the intricate footwork.  Kudos to him; I hope Susan Jaffe will be giving him more featured roles soon so that last night’s promise won’t become another wasted opportunity.  Daniel Camargo is my new reason to buy tickets to ABT.  He is a remarkable leading man, with enormous passion, skill, vibrancy and a real emotional connection to each character he portrays.  He was so good that I didn’t even mind Isabella Boylston’s always sloppy upper body and eternally claw-like hands.  At this point in time, Camargo is the only ABT dancer I feel eager to see again.  Really looking forward to seeing him in the fall, no matter how he's cast – maybe in Ballet Imperial, The Dream or On the Dneiper/Dnipro! 

[ABT Fan]

15 minutes ago, laurel said:

 

After experiencing Daniel Camargo’s fantastic performance in Like Water for Chocolate, I ran to see him in last night’s Romeo & Juliet, with the added bonus of Jonathan Klein as Mercutio.  Both men brought the house down with their remarkable dancing, with Klein receiving continued applause throughout the Mandolin dance.  His dancing was beautifully smooth and consistent, and he made the choreography seem easy as he flowed through the intricate footwork.  Kudos to him; I hope Susan Jaffe will be giving him more featured roles soon so that last night’s promise won’t become another wasted opportunity.  Daniel Camargo is my new reason to buy tickets to ABT.  He is a remarkable leading man, with enormous passion, skill, vibrancy and a real emotional connection to each character he portrays.  He was so good that I didn’t even mind Isabella Boylston’s always sloppy upper body and eternally claw-like hands.  At this point in time, Camargo is the only ABT dancer I feel eager to see again.  Really looking forward to seeing him in the fall, no matter how he's cast – maybe in Ballet Imperial, The Dream or On the Dneiper/Dnipro! 

I saw Camargo's Romeo last year with Seo and I felt exactly the same as you (his chemistry with Seo was unexpected; he filled in last minute for an injured Stearns). Ditto regarding Klein's Mercutio. Carmargo did Oberon last Fall and was stupendous, so I expect/hope he'll be cast in that again. He'd also be wonderful in On the Dnipro.

[abatt]

Hee Seo was  stunning as Juliet.  By far the richest and most expressive of any of the casts at ABT thus far this season.  Her beautiful upper body liquidity was a marvel.  You could see the transformation from innocent girl to woman over the course of the evening.  This is her best role.

And Roxander knocked it out of the park with his superb dancing as Mercutio.

Ahn's Tybalt was a total bore.

Edited July 21, 2023 by abatt

[bingham]

40 minutes ago, abatt said:

Hee Seo was  stunning as Juliet.  By far the richest and most expressive of any of the casts at ABT thus far this season.  Her beautiful upper body liquidity was a marvel.  You could see the transformation from innocent girl to woman over the course of the evening.  This is her best role.

And Roxander knocked it out of the park with his superb dancing as Mercutio.

Ahn's Tybalt was a total bore.

And how was Mr Bell?

[MoMo]

41 minutes ago, abatt said:

Hee Seo was  stunning as Juliet.  By far the richest and most expressive of any of the casts at ABT thus far this season.  Her beautiful upper body liquidity was a marvel.  You could see the transformation from innocent girl to woman over the course of the evening.  This is her best role.

And Roxander knocked it out of the park with his superb dancing as Mercutio.

Ahn's Tybalt was a total bore.

Thank you for your review. I think Joo Won Ahn needs to have more instruction in character development. I saw him in LWFC, and he was passionless. Pedro and Tybalt are supposed to show strong emotions. 

[Papagena]

14 minutes ago, MoMo said:

Thank you for your review. I think Joo Won Ahn needs to have more instruction in character development. I saw him in LWFC, and he was passionless. Pedro and Tybalt are supposed to show strong emotions. 

Joo Won Ahn has been my biggest disappointment amongst all the principal men. Great technique + an incredibly handsome face that catches the light beautifully - he has the stature and physical gifts to make an imposing, striking Tybalt as well as an ideal romantic lead. But alas, I think he may not have it in him. His acting and chemistry with his fellow dancers is not improving. At this point I don't know if extra coaching will make enough of a difference. 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Papagena

[abatt]

22 minutes ago, bingham said:

And how was Mr Bell?

Bell was excellent.  Fabulous technique.  And I felt his partnering of Hee Seo, who is a waif, was  more daring and looked more spontaneous than his partnering Teuscher.  Teuscher is so much taller and bigger than Hee, and therefore more difficult to partner.  

[California]

44 minutes ago, abatt said:

Bell was excellent.  Fabulous technique.  And I felt his partnering of Hee Seo, who is a waif, was  more daring and looked more spontaneous than his partnering Teuscher.  Teuscher is so much taller and bigger than Hee, and therefore more difficult to partner.  

A side note on Bell's partnering from a Pointe interview: https://pointemagazine.com/catherine-hurlin-aran-bell-abt/

At just shy of 16, he was taken into ABT Studio Company, at the time directed by Kate Lydon. It was only then that Bell, who was still on the smaller side and slight, began to grow to his current height of 6′ 3″. And, more importantly, where he really learned to partner. Going through a huge growth spurt made things more difficult, but also focused his efforts. “I had a moment of realization when they asked me to do a very simple lift with the lightest girl in the room and it just didn’t happen,” he explains. “I had that panic—’I need to do something about this, fast.’ ” He started to work out assiduously at the gym, bulked up and figured it out. As a result, at 21 he is already considered one of the most dependable partners in the company.

My thought on Royal's shaky partnering Wednesday afternoon: he needs to head to the gym! I wonder how many of the male dancers now see that as essential training. 

[bingham]

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Bell was excellent.  Fabulous technique.  And I felt his partnering of Hee Seo, who is a waif, was  more daring and looked more spontaneous than his partnering Teuscher.  Teuscher is so much taller and bigger than Hee, and therefore more difficult to partner.  

Thanks, Abatt. People livingaway from NYC has To depend on you and BA for our Ballet fix.