City Ballet: Slaughter, For the Love of Duke and the West Side Suite

Saturday night marked City Ballet’s Tribute to Broadway, with a program featuring Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, For the Love of Duke and the West Side Story Suite. (It also marked Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins’s momentary return to the stage.) It was a gloriously fun night of dance (and a perfect introduction to ballet for the pointe-shy) that celebrated the wonderful theatrical possibilities of dance and the choreographic wonders that can be found on Broadway stages.

We begin with Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, a Balanchine ballet. I had seen this before and knew it would be entertaining. Indeed, it was. Slaughter is ever so slightly tap heavy and so made me long for Anything Goes. (In fact, throughout the night, I would be longing for either great dance shows currently on the boards or just your traditional Broadway musical, replete with big dance breaks and a full orchestra backing them up.)

According to the repertory notes, “the original Slaughter on Tenth Avenue was created for the 1936 Rodgers and Hart musical On Your Toes. … [It was] the first full-scale ballet within a musical, and…also introduced the word ‘choreography’ to Broadway.” A show within a show (hello, classic musical theatre device!), in Slaughter, a hoofer (Andrew Veyette) falls in love with a stripper (Sara Mearns) at the nightclub in which they both work. Disapproving of the romance, the Big Boss (on Saturday night this role was played by Martins!) aims to shoot the hoofer but misses and instead shoots his star stripper. After a moment of grief, the hoofer begins performing and is handed a note by the stripper’s “corpse,” warning him that there’s a thug in the audience who intends to shoot the hoofer once he stops dancing and the applause kicks in. Wanting to avoid being shot (naturally), the hoofer continues dancing, doing encore after encore, until the cops arrive. (I know this probably sounds borderline macabre, but it’s all done with pizzazz and levity and is incredibly light hearted.)

At first, I wasn’t sure I liked Sara Mearns’s performance. When we first meet the stripper, she’s “on the clock” and dancing for the patrons. Her hair is severely pulled back and she’s wearing a ballerina pink costume. Mearns seemed unenthused. But then it was after hours and Mearns reappeared, this time with Veyette’s hoofer; her formerly pinned up hair had been let loose and she was clad in a sultry black number. It was then that it became clear that her earlier boredom was a character choice because when she and Veyette danced as lovers, they were on fire.

They held on tight to one another and flew across the stage, twirling and whirling about, carefree and in love. There was palpable heat emanating from the pair as they danced a jazzier and sometimes tap-happy pas de deux. Once it was the hoofer’s turn to shine, Veyette did, proving that a dancer is a dancer is a dancer, no matter the style. Veyette seemed able to hoof as well as he jetes, and here and throughout the evening it was fun to watch City Ballet dancers forego the classical ballet style and engage in more modern dance with the same expert technique.

My only two complaints about the performance of Slaughter on Saturday night are technical: (1) The follow spots were too numerous, leading to fuzzy lighting; and (2) the floor microphones needed to either be turned on at all or turned up so we could really hear the tapping. (For me, part of the fun of watching tap is hearing it.) Those two notes aside, Slaughter was a great opening for the Tribute to Broadway night.

The next piece was For the Love of Duke, which was new for me. And it’s mostly new for City Ballet. In its entirety, For the Love of Duke, choreographed by Tony winning director/choreographer Susan Stroman (The Producers; she’s Tony-nominated this year for The Scottsboro Boys) premiered this past winter. The final section of the piece, “Blossom Got Kissed,” premiered at City Ballet in 1999.

The story goes that City Ballet loved “Blossom Got Kissed,” but it is a brief piece; and, set to Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (if it Ain’t Got that Swing),” it requires a jazz ensemble. This made it difficult to produce on a regular repertoire night. So, Peter Martins approached Stroman about creating a companion piece. Stroman went back to Duke’s music and created three additional sections, “Frankie and Johnny…and Rose;” “Sunset;” and “Johnny’s Lament,” which, when combined with “Blossom Got Kissed,” make for a full (and fantastic) consummate ballet.

“Frankie and Johnny…and Rose” is set to “The Single Petal of a Rose,” “Love You Madly,” “Such Sweet Thunder” and “Frankie and Johnny.” First we meet Johnny (Amar Ramasar) and Rose (Tiler Peck), who engage in a pretty, sweet pas de deux. The music has a great slow burn, and the beautiful dancing tells us that Johnny and Rose are lovers.

But then Frankie (Sara Mearns) appears. Uh oh! Johnny is about to be caught! Never fear – he’ll dance his way out of it. The music picks up now; we’re really getting into that great jazz swing. The movements have more flair, more character. Johnny dances with Frankie while trying to hide Rose. Rose is discovered and the two ladies give him what for, en pointe, of course. It was here that Peck’s sultry, black swan side came out. She looked sensational up there, strutting in a beautiful William Ivey Long costume, cut just so to make her look like a rose.

When Frankie and Rose finally leave Johnny, we discover the player has a third lady waiting in the wings. And thus we transition to “Sunset,” set to Duke’s “Sunset and the Mockingbird.” Here, Laruen Lovette dances alone on stage. This piece was, for my taste, the least interesting, with nothing particularly notable, just something pretty to look at before more fun took over.

The third vignette is “Johnny’s Lament” and it is set to “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” Here, Ramasar’s Johnny danced alone on stage to Duke’s great jazz tune. He looked like what I imagine some suave, sophisticated guy might be doing while getting ready to go out on the town. Dancing around the apartment with a jazz record playing, maybe a highball to get him going… But I digress. Ramasar was sexy and commanding here, clearly relishing both the music and the moves. This was the first time I feel like I got a glimpse at Ramasar’s personality. He’s always struck me as a skilled dancer, but his charisma shone here.

Finally, it was Blossom’s turn. Set to “It Don’t Mean a Thing (if it Ain’t Got that Swing)” and “Lotus Blossom,” “Blossom Got Kissed” is a great, fun, sexy and sophisticated jazz ensemble number, with featured moments for Blossom (Savannah Lowery) and the Musician (Robert Fairchild). (Guess who was über excited about watching Fairchild dance!)

“Blossom Got Kissed” begins with Blossom trying to keep up with the eight or so pairs of dancers in the “club.” She, apparently, doesn’t got rhythm. The Musician (clad in an impossibly dapper and perfectly fitted suit) has been sitting in with the jazz ensemble (guest artists the David Berger Jazz Orchestra – spectacular) all the while, every now and then playing a note on the triangle, and takes a shine to her, getting up to teach her a lesson.

Dear readers, it’s like Susan Stroman knew about my fantasy to have Robbie Fairchild treat me to an impromptu dance lesson. Watching him “teach” Blossom to dance was such fun; the Musician took care to start with some basic ballet steps and then kicked it up to a full jazz swing. Finally, Blossom gets it and she and the Musician join the ensemble of dancers for the swingin’est thing I’ve ever seen on stage. (It was here, when Fairchild was locked in arms with the ensemble that I thought of the equally appealing Aaron Tveit during the “Jet Set” number in Catch Me if You Can. I told you I was thinking of Broadway all through the night!) Even as part of the ensemble, though, I could not take my eyes off of Fairchild. I dare you to try.

The whole ballet, which perfectly melded technique with a sultry personal flair, made me want to get in my Delorean, head back the 30s or 40s, put on red lipstick and seamed stockings and make good use of my dancing shoes. It was a scintillating good time, with bravura performances from all.

Closing the evening was a perennial favorite, the West Side Story Suite. I’ve already written at length about my affinity for this piece (and about how much better it is than the horrid revival from 2009). So for now, I’ll note that it was terrific as usual, although Chase Finlay (who was dancing the role of Tony in place of the previously announced Fairchild) looked a little too young and fragile to be playing Tony. Instead of looking like a street kid, the blond haired dancer looked like Zack Morris. Not quite the right look.

But that was of little consequence. When you have Leonard Bernstein’s music played by an expert orchestra; Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics sung by gifted guest singers (Rob Lorey; Lara Marie Hirner; Jane Brockman; Julie Price; and Whitney Webster); and that explosive Jerome Robbins choreography danced by the New York City Ballet, it’s a beautiful thing.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit nycballet.com.

Media Morsels 5.27.11

• Theatre Award Season Update
• Tony Presenters Announced - Among the starry presenters set to appear on the Tony broadcast on June 12 are Viola Davis, Patrick Wilson, Joel Grey and James Earl Jones. Visit tonyawards.com to find out who else will be presenting!
  
  
• Drama League Awards - Winners included War Horse, The Book of Mormon, The Normal Heart, Anything Goes and Mark Rylance. Visit Playbill.com for a full list of winners. Visit Broadwayworld.com for photos of both the women and men.
  
  
• Drama Desk Awards - Winners included (again) War Horse, The Book of Mormon, The Normal Heart, Anything Goes as well as Sutton Foster, Norbert Leo Butz, Peter and the Starcatcher and See Rock City and Other Destinations. Visit Playbill.com for a full list of winners. Visit Broadwayworld.com for full photo coverage, including arrivals, part one and part two and the press room.
  
  
• Outer Critics Circle Awards - These award winners were previously announced but this week the winners were honored during a celebration at Sardi's. Visit Broadwayworld.com for photo coverage.
  
  
• Michael Esper: First Person
  Want to know what the last couple of years have been like for Michael Esper, who has recently immersed himself in not one but two incredible shows? The accomplished actor has been going back and forth between American Idiot and The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. He was involved in developmental workshops and out of town try outs of both productions, as well as seeing both pieces of art to their New York debuts. Visit Broadway.com to read what Esper has to say about the whirlwind experience.
  
  
• Catch Me Treats
• Want to swoon? Check out this video of Aaron Tveit and the cast and orchestra of Catch Me if You Can recording the show's opening number, "Live in Living Color." The original Broadway cast recording is now available on iTunes and available for pre-order from sh-k-boom.com. (CDs will ship on June 9.)
  
  
• Look who caught Catch Me this week - it's none other than Tony host Neil Patrick Harris!
  
  
• Catch Catch Me on tour, starting in Providence, Rhode Island. (...Which just happens to be the setting for the uber funny movie, Safe Men.)
  
  
• Josh Gad Cue & A
  Want to know interesting tidbits about The Book of Mormon's Tony nominated co-star, Josh Gad? Watch this video Cue & A!
  

• City Ballet
  Good news! New York City Ballet's 2011-2012 season has been announced and current subscribers can now renew their subscriptions. It's going to be an incredible season with lots of new works. There will be two new Peter Martins ballets (including one scored by Sir Paul!); two new Christopher Wheeldon ballets, one a world premiere and one a NYCB premiere; and one new Benjamin Millepied ballet. Plus, favorites, like Interplay, Polyphonia and Fancy Free, and classics, like Apollo and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, are also on the schedule. Visit nycballet.com to stay up to date.
  
  
• Babs and Seth Rogen Team Up on Screen
  Funnyman Seth Rogen will play onscreen son to Barbra Streisand in the upcoming My Mother's Curse. The movie is set to be released in 2012 and follows Rogen's character as he tries to sell a product while also reuniting his mom with a long lost love. The movie is written by Dan Fogelman, who also penned the upcoming Crazy Stupid Love. Visit Playbill.com for more details.
  
  
• Dig This
• Jerusalem extends! Yay!!! You can now catch this wonderful new play through August 21.
  
  
• According to Sutton Foster, there will be an Anything Goes revival cast recording!
  
  
• Theatre Code of Ethics
  
  
• Most awesome two things this week:
  

The Importance of Being Earnest

Who doesn’t like a good, old fashioned, zesty satire, written with a palpable love of language and rapier wit? That’s what you get in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, given a superb production by Roundabout Theatre Company. At 116 years old, this Trivial Comedy for Serious People (as is its subtitle) is still as relevant and funny as ever.

The notable aspect of this production is that director Brian Bedford (whose keen knack for timing is on display here) doesn’t just direct the piece; he also stars as Lady Bracknell. This isn’t some campy performance, a drag show just for fun. My guess is that Bedford simply wanted to play the old broad. And it works so well because the whole play plays on people’s perceptions of what is appropriate and acceptable, and has every character pontificating on the merits of judging what’s on the surface, rather than something deeper. (To wit: Gwendolen asserts, “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing.”) It’s an interesting choice and because Bedford plays it straight, Lady Bracknell is rip-roaringly funny.

The importance of being earnest is explored in Wilde’s satire, with most of the characters valuing everything but actual earnestness. (Though the two young ladies greatly the value the name Ernest.) Algernon (Santino Fontana), or Algy as he’s affectionately called, is entertaining his friend John (David Furr), who has made up a brother called Ernest. In town (that is, to Algy and friends), John is known as Ernest and in the country, he’s John or Jack. Jack as Ernest is in love with Algy’s cousin, Gwendolen (Jessie Austrian), whose mother is Lady Bracknell (Bedford). Back in the country, Jack has a ward, Cecily (Charlotte Parry), with whom Algy, taking on the persona of Jack’s fake brother Ernest, falls in love. While pretending to be Ernest, no one, the men or women, are being particularly earnest. (The truth is seen as a last resort, and not terribly virtuous. As Algy says, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either and modern literature a complete impossibility.”)

Ultimately, Wilde’s sharpest satire is aimed as the class system in London. When Jack proposes to Gwendolen, Lady Bracknell won’t consent to the marriage until she knows more about his upbringing. When she learns Jack was abandoned in a train station, she says, “You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a cloakroom, and form an alliance with a parcel?” Nevermind the fact that all his other answers have been satisfactory; that he’s a fairly good guy; and, oh yeah, he and Gwendolen are in love. Wilde’s mocking of the class system is most winningly given voice by Lady Bracknell’s bon mots, like this one: “Never speak disrespectfully of society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.”

I could go on and on with favorite quotes from this play. I will spare you but do encourage you to pick up a copy and see this production.

Speaking of the production, I found this to move at an appropriately quick clip, with everyone on their game. In particular, I liked Santino Fontana’s Algy. He has a look and charm that reminded me a little bit of Paul Rudd and the characters he usually plays, so right away, though Algy is wholly superficial and has hilariously ridiculous notions about love, romance and marriage, I liked him. (Algy’s take on romance, etc.: “I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.”)

This production of The Importance of Being Earnest was originally supposed to be a limited run (it began in the fall) but being a top-notch show, it has extended and is now playing through July 3. Visit roundabouttheatre.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

ABT: Classics to Premieres

I’m a season subscriber to New York City Ballet and since moving to New York that’s where I’ve exclusively gone to get my ballet fix. But then American Ballet Theatre’s spring season was announced and I learned that there would be a world premiere Christopher Wheeldon ballet. I knew I couldn’t miss this. And so on Tuesday night I made my way to Lincoln Center; instead of heading in to the State theatre, I entered the Metropolitan Opera House, where ABT is performing.

Tuesday evening’s program was Classics to Premieres and consisted of two world premieres, one US premiere and one classic from the ABT repertoire. We begin with a world premiere.

Alexei Ratmansky’s Dumbarton was up first. (Ratmansky is ABT’s Artist in Residence.) You may recall from that in the fall I saw Ratmansky’s Namouna and didn’t care for it. I was gearing up to dislike Dumbarton, set to Stravinsky’s “Dumbarton Oaks,” so I was pleasantly surprised when I wasn’t completely turned off. I still can’t decide if I loved it or hated it, though.

Do you remember the Gap ads from several years ago, the ones in which the guys and gals were dressed in khakis and crisp white shirts, looking impossibly clean cut, and danced through the streets? That’s sort of how the ten dancers in Dumbarton looked. Looks aside, the dancing was fast and unyielding; neither the dancers nor the audience had a moment to rest and take in the scene. The moves had an unfinished, rough, sort of youthful edge to them, and while that may sometimes spell exuberance, here everything felt heavy. I suppose I didn’t hate it; the dancing was good and the ideas in the ballet were understandable, but I didn’t love it, either.

Next up was the US premiere of Benjamin Millepied’s Troika. Set to music by Bach, Troika is danced by, as you might guess, a trio of dancers, Alexandre Hammoudi, Danil Simkin and Sascha Radetsky. (Radetsky was in the movie Center Stage; he played Charlie!) Troika struck me as a bit of a cross between Millepied’s Plainspoken and Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free. The costumes and sense of urgency were reminiscent of Plainspoken while the interaction between the three men made me think of Fancy Free.

Like in Fancy Free, the three men show off for each other. They begin dancing together but they each take a moment to challenge the others. Unlike Fancy Free, there seemed to be something a little deeper going on here. At first I had the sense that this was a school yard rumble/dance-off with impressive braggadocio. But by the end of the ballet, I thought it was more that the three men represented three aspects of one person and that the conflict they were dancing through wasn’t among competing schoolchildren but among competing interests in oneself. I think the themes of Troika paired with its graceful athleticism make this ballet a wonderful challenge for male dancers.

After intermission, we returned for the classic part of the program. This was Shadowplay, a ballet by Antony Tudor, staged by Christopher Newton and set to music by Charles Koechlin. Dear readers, I wanted to leave. It was like watching Prodigal Son (which you know I don’t like) devolve into “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream,” except an actual spooky Mormon hell dream, not the fantastical and funny number from The Book of Mormon. I can’t report much else about it because I actually closed my eyes at several points so that I could try to nap before the Wheeldon premiere that would be up next.

And oh, that Christopher Wheeldon. Tuesday night marked the world premiere of his Thirteen Diversions, set to music by Benjamin Britten. Wheeldon’s trademark exploration of color, lighting and space were once again realized in yet another stirring ballet.

An ensemble dressed in black was juxtaposed by eight featured dancers in white (or perhaps it was a very pale blue; I was sitting very far back...). Thirteen Diversions was a battle between light and dark, and with their graceful movements and flowing arms, they often looked swan-like as they flitted about the stage.

In one variation, the battle between light and dark seemed to ask, “Who’s allowed where?” One group would encircle the other but then the ensnared gaggle would break free. In another variation, a gorgeous pas de deux, the dancers were backed by saturated blue lights, making them look like they were literally tangled up in blue. (Fitting as Tuesday was Bob Dylan’s birthday.) In consecutive variations, it was playtime, first for the ladies and then for the men. And in still another variation, two dancers engaged in a lovely, emotional dance as if in their own world, though they were surrounded by the ensemble of dark dancers.

I am always so impressed with the way Wheeldon creates a complete theatrical experience through his ballets. He tells a story with each element available to him, and, on top of that, the dancing is beautiful. The classical technique paired with soulful and passionate responses to the music (you can see the music come to life in his movements) make for endlessly interesting and thrilling ballets. Wheeldon will be heavily featured in City Ballet’s 2011-2012 season, including an all-Wheeldon program, a NYCB premiere and another world premiere, so book your tickets. You know where to find me next season!

Visit abt.org to learn more about these four ballets and to purchase tickets.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

It is, indeed, raining men at the Palace Theatre in New York, currently home to Priscilla Queen of the Desert. This splashy, movie-to-stage jukebox musical chugs (and, sometimes, like the titular bus, clunks) along for a colorful night of theatre.

You know, dear readers, that a show like Priscilla isn’t exactly my kind of show. But, it stars Will Swenson, who I loved so much in Hair, and it’s Tony season so on Monday night two friends and I headed over for the camp-fest that is Priscilla. And I have to tell you: I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it, either, but entering into Priscilla’s world with the appropriate expectations made for an entertaining romp.

At rise, Tick/Mitzi (Will Swenson) is a drag performer who promises the son, Benji, he’s never met that he will travel from Sydney to Alice to see him. Benji’s mother has offered Tick a performance slot at her casino in exchange for his making the trip. So Tick enlists the help of Bernadette (Tony Sheldon), older than Tick and a pioneer in Australia’s drag performance scene, and Adam/Felicia (Nick Adams), who is younger than Tick and more than a little flamboyant. (For those who know the performer, I think you’ll agree that in Priscilla, Nick Adams is being Nick Adams. He’s “fabulouuuussss!” and he’ll be the first to tell you.) The three set out across the Australian outback in Priscilla, each in search of love, in some form or another.

Punctuating the story (with book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott) are a plethora of bouncy disco hits and Madonna songs, including “It’s Raining Men,” “Material Girl,” “I Will Survive” and “Hot Stuff,” among others. During intermission, one of my friends commented that everything felt a bit disjointed. I didn’t share that feeling during act one, but during the first few numbers in act two, I think Priscilla made a wrong turn into Disjointown.

That doesn’t really matter, though. The point of Priscilla, in my opinion, isn’t to tell a compelling linear story. (Although, the Tick storyline is sweet and I like Swenson’s tender moments toward the end.) The point of Priscilla is to put on a fantastic spectacle, and that’s a test which the divas on and off stage pass with flying colors—verily.

Brian Thompson’s “bus concept and production design” (as it’s called in the Playbill) is gloriously full of Technicolor. Priscilla turns and rolls and drives through Australia, sometimes opening up to let us see the fantabulous that is the inside of Tick, Bernadette and Adam’s traveling home. Nick Schleiper’s lighting design helps to colorize the bus.

Most impressive though were Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner’s costume designs. Without exaggerating, I think every time a character walked on stage s/he was wearing a different costume. (Well done, backstage quick-change dressers!) These exquisite pieces of wearable art range from the functional to the absolutely fabulous, and spare no expense at their outrageousness. But I’d expect nothing less, of course.

Perhaps meant to be guardian angels, three divas, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Anastacia McCleskey and Ashley Spencer, intermittently ascended from the sky to provide a vocal assist to the drag queens. The beautiful, ethereal women have terrific pipes – and even better wigs!

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is big and loud and pops off the stage. It’s not a deep, emotional musical and it doesn’t really express much other than style but it is a fierce feast for the eyes. And the pop tunes will definitely get stuck in your head – like it or not!

Visit PriscillaonBroadway.com to learn more and to purchase tickets.

City Ballet: Divertimento No. 15, Polyphonia and La Sonnambula

New York City Ballet is back, dear readers. After going into hibernation for the end of winter and the start of spring (or, more precisely, after performing at the Kennedy Center and other out-of-NYC locations), City Ballet is back for the last mini season of the 2011-2012 season. And that’s a good thing because on Saturday afternoon they were in top form.

The program was a Balanchine/Wheeldon one and included, in order, Divertimento No. 15 (Balanchine); Polyphonia (Wheeldon); and La Sonnambula (Balanchine). You might be able to guess that I was most excited for Polyphonia and that I enjoyed that the most. However, I was pleasantly surprised by La Sonnambula which, in addition to being Balanchine was a narrative. Usually not my cup of tea but I liked this.

But we start with Divertimento No. 15, choreographed by Balanchine to Mozart’s music. I had seen this before and didn’t have a favorable reaction. The second time around was much better, in terms of execution, though I still had a similar reaction to the ballet as a whole: It’s a perfectly pleasant and light ballet, a nice little divertissement. There isn’t, in my opinion, anything particularly impressive or moving or soulful about this, but it’s gentle and pretty, and a nice little amuse-bouche to get you in the mood for more ballet.

On Saturday afternoon, Jonathan Stafford was dancing in Divertimento; watching him jump around on stage always makes me happy. He’s just so buoyant. The spring in his step added a little pep to an otherwise serene ballet.

Next was my favorite piece of the afternoon and yet another example of Christopher Wheeldon’s expertise as a choreographer. Polyphonia premiered at City Ballet a little over ten years ago and, according to the repertory notes, was not only the fourth ballet Wheeldon created for the company, but also his first work after retiring from dancing. The notes add that the music is assembled from pieces by “composer Gyorgy Ligeti, who developed micropolyphony, a type of musical texture involving the use of sustained dissonant chords that shift slowly over time.”

And this is what I love about Wheeldon: He’s really a conceptual artist, with each element of the performance – the music, the dance, the lighting – being informed by the other. In Polyphonia, he uses light (designed here by Mark Stanley), and, by extension, shadows to help fill the stage. When this particular lighting is used in the beginning and the end, although there are only eight dancers on stage, it looks like there are twenty!

Moreover, all the movement was dictated by the music. Not exactly in the way that Jerome Robbins’s choreography expresses the feel of the music. Rather, in Polyphonia, Wheeldon’s choreography aligned with the score’s structure. When the music was discordant and slightly off, the dancing was slightly angular and danced in the round. As the music became more graceful and smooth, so did the dancing. And when those two styles melded, it was a sight to see: Wheeldon simultaneously bucked and conformed to balletic conventions, with a dancer striking a classic pose save for the palms-out jazz hands.

It was a terrific mix of classic and modern. In Polyphonia, Wheeldon finds a way to make the angular graceful. His choreography – every move a dancer makes – has meaning; it’s reflective of the tone of the music. The choreography is not exactly lithe and pretty but it is beautiful.

There are ten movements in Polyphonia and dancing them were eight terrific dancers, seven of them principals. At this performance, I watched Wendy Whelan and Tyler Angle; Tiler Peck and Gonzalo Garcia; Teresa Reichlen and Amar Ramasar; and Sara Mearns and Chase Finlay. (You may recall from past reviews that Finlay is currently a corps de ballet member, but he’s making his mark and will no doubt be a principal within the next five years.)

The first movement involved the entire cast and set the theme. Just like the Ligeti pieces we would hear throughout the ballet show that there is beauty in discord, in this first movement Wheeldon shows there is beauty in angles – in positions and moves that are usually antithetical to classical ballet.

The second movement, danced by the incomparable Whelan and Angle, looked almost like a yoga class, with the two expert dancers wrapping themselves around each other. (They would do this again in the ninth movement, during which they eventually hold the pose pictured above.)

Yoga was soon followed by another athletic movement, the fourth, during which Mearns, Peck and Reichlen proved that ballet dancers – female ballet dancers, at that – are just as athletic and strong as ball players of any variety. And yet, they never lost that graceful, beautiful look.

Next was the fifth movement, danced by Garcia and Ramasar. The music, lighting and choreography of this movement felt like spring. The lighting was bright and yellow; the music was hopeful; the choreography was spirited and lively. It was a fun jaunt, quickly juxtaposed by the sixth movement, danced by Mearns and Finlay. The yellow light turned to blue, the music slowed down and Mearns and Finlay danced a somber, almost elegiac dance. This was the most smooth, classically choreographed movement (fitting with the smooth, more classical music) and because of its difference, it made quite an impact on the entire ballet. It was a moment of quiet and solitude, a time for reflection amid the beautifully controlled chaos of the other movements.

Wrapping up Polyphonia were movements seven through ten. The seventh movement saw Whelan & Angle and Peck & Garcia engage in a bit of delayed mirroring, which was sort of reminiscent of the very beginning of Wheeldon’s After the Rain. The eighth movement was deliberate: Reichlan and Ramasar would make a move, pause in it, think about the next move and then make it. It wasn’t exactly staccato but it wasn’t exactly legato, either. Just purposeful. The aforementioned ninth movement, with Whelan and Angle once again wrapping themselves around each other, was phenomenal, and the final and tenth movement echoed the playfulness of the first movement, with the lights and shadows returning for an encore.

This was my first time seeing this particular Wheeldon ballet and after it, I am more convinced than ever that Wheeldon is one of, if not the, greatest living choreographers.

Closing out the afternoon was Balanchine’s La Sonnambula. As you may know, dear readers, I’m not a huge Balanchine fan and I’m not a huge narrative ballet fan, either. But, to my pleasant surprise, I did enjoy La Sonnambula, and not just because my favorite, Robert Fairchild, was dancing in it.

The basic story of La Sonnambula (with music by Vittorio Rieti, after themes by Vincenzo Bellini) is a love story. A Poet (Fairchild) woos the Coquette (Jennie Somogyi) while party guests dance around and three divertissements entertain. The party clears out and the Poet is left alone in the court, but not for long. He is visited by the Sleepwalker (Janie Taylor) and that’s when the ballet gets interesting.

The beginning is fine, with nice dancing from all. (I also really like Somogyi’s dress, designed by Alain Vaes.) The divertissements are pleasant enough, and I was impressed by Adam Hendrickson as the Harlequin. But the pas de deux between Fairchild’s Poet and Taylor’s Sleepwalker was fascinating. The Poet is becoming enchanted by this woman, who is, as her name suggests, sleep-dancing. She seems to be moving around oblivious to her surroundings, but soon we see she does have a sense of what’s around her. The Sleepwalker and the Poet connect. He learns how he can affect her movement, literally pulling her toward him one moment and lifting her leg in an arabesque in another.

By the end of the ballet, we see just how deeply they have connected, despite their different levels of consciousness: the slain Poet is carried off stage by the Sleepwalker (kudos to Taylor for being able to carry Fairchild – that’s one strong woman!) and the two ascend to their own lair.

And there you have it. Saturday in the ballet with George (Balanchine and Christopher Wheeldon!)

Visit nycballet.com to learn more about the ballets and to purchase tickets.

Sister Act

So here’s the thing about Sister Act: I’m not the show’s target audience. This is going to sound totally snotty, but the show is aimed at undiscerning, mass audiences, not sophisticated, discerning avid New York theatre goers, who see multiple shows a month (sometimes multiple shows each week), and who regularly see more daring and bold works.

That’s not to say that Sister Act (directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast) is bad, but it’s not for me. Almost everything about the show was fine. The score was fine; the book was fine; the choreography was fine. Nothing was impressive, save for a couple of numbers. And the performances were all good, but the talented cast didn’t have much to do with the sub-par material. Moreover, as unfair as this is, I couldn’t help but compare Sister Act to other shows, now that it’s Tony season.

For example, Sister Act earned a Best Score Tony nomination and Catch Me if You Can did not. Having had such fun at Catch Me, I couldn’t understand why Sister Act’s score (written by Alan Menken, music, and Glenn Slater, lyrics,) was nominated and Catch Me’s wasn’t. True, neither score is overwhelmingly impressive. Much as I like Catch Me, I freely admit that the score is just fine. But so is Sister Act’s. And so I’m left to wonder just how close the voting in the Tony nominations was.

Aside from Tony stuff, here’s the scoop: From what I can remember, the story sticks pretty closely to the movie. I haven’t seen the movie since it was released in theatres so I can’t tell you if Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane’s book is taken verbatim from the movie, but the overall action is about the same. Deloris (Patina Miller) witnesses a crime and needs to hide. Naturally, the police officer Eddie (Chester Gregory), whom Deloris knew in school, sends Deloris to a nunnery, where she meets Mother Superior (Victoria Clark), Sister Mary Robert (Marla Mindelle) and Sister Mary Patrick (Sarah Bolt), among others. Deloris’s unorthodox ways don’t jibe with Mother Superior. Trying to keep Deloris busy and out of her hair, Mother Superior asks Deloris to take over the choir. Deloris, a singer, quickly cottons to this and transforms the off-key choir into a show-stopping force that will eventually perform for the Pope. All the while, Deloris finds her place in the most unexpected of places.

The first three-quarters of Sister Act’s first act were boring and not at all engaging. Our leading lady, Deloris, is not a particularly likable character. Our introduction to her involves the revelation that she is carrying on an affair with a married man (the character’s name is Curtis Jackson but alas, it’s not 50 Cent) and is quickly followed by her sassing it up and singing about how terrific she is in the number, “Fabulous, Baby!” Not so fabulous, if you ask me. I’m not down with O.P.P., and I’m not down with arrogance, so right off the bat, I felt disconnected from Deloris.

Continuing on, the score sounded like a B-rate rip-off of Motown and disco hits. The songs all had fun beats and were performed well, but they lacked originality. For a show that is all about soul, the score didn’t have any. But then, in the middle of “I Could Be that Guy,” a number in which Eddie pines over Deloris, it got fun. Eddie became lovable. (While the music was still derivative, the showmanship made up for it.)

That was followed by “Raise Your Voice,” a fantastic, rousing number in which the nuns didn’t just raise their voices – they found them! Finally, the soul had been put back in the “soul music.” This number has Deloris suggesting that singing loudly and passionately in church and in praise of God is a glorious thing; if the nuns are so enamored of God and His work, why not sing it from the rafters? And so the nuns find their groove.

Unfortunately, that was the high point. There were other good numbers in the show. Certainly there were splashy, 11 o’clock number wannabes that were fun enough. But the awesomeness of “Raise Your Voice” made everything else pale in comparison, and it also made the rest of the score all the more disappointing, because “Raise Your Voice” shows what talent is behind the show.

One of the wannabe 11 o’clock numbers came in act two. Sister Mary Roberts sings “The Life I Never Led,” in which she recounts how she’s been so good – such a rule follower – all her life, and yet it’s borne less than satisfying results. It’s a great moment and Mindelle has a great voice, but because I was so disengaged from the story, I didn’t care about the character. And so when she sang, like Morales before me, I felt nothing.

Throughout the show, I found there to be terribly awkward transitions – mostly because there didn’t seem to be any. A song would end; the actor would hold for applause; and before the applause could get started, s/he would walk off stage and there’d be a blackout. I’m not sure if this was just a timing issue and the crew was off that night, but it all felt disjointed. In particular, the end of act one was so abrupt. The song ended but there was no cue that it had finished. No lighting cue; no curtain coming down. Just this awkward pause. I waited for some dialogue to get us to the act break, but it never came. Instead, after what felt like an interminable delay, the curtain came down and the audience clapped.

To be sure, there is a lot of talent on the stage at the Broadway Theatre. Both Patina Miller and Victoria Clark are nominated for their performances, Miller for Leading Actress in a Musical and Clark for Featured Actress in a Musical, and both nominations are deserved. Clark is a perfect example of what I mentioned before: a fantastic talent with totally un-fantastic material. She has a great voice, and it’s fun to see her cut up and let loose at the end of the show, but I wish she was singing a better score.

And Miller has an incredible voice. I knew this going in because I had seen her as Dionne when Hair played in the Park a few summers ago. (She opened the show by summoning the Age of Aquarius and it was a beautiful thing. She wasn’t in the Broadway run because she was involved with Sister Act in London.) In Sister Act, she definitely shows off her vocal chops but, while girlfriend can sing it, she can’t sell it. Miller’s unnatural acting left much to be desired. Her vocal skills are undeniable, though, and her powerful voice carries throughout the large theatre.

So, dear readers, I can’t recommend Sister Act. It’s a fine back up option, but there’s much more on the boards right now that so much better. I suppose if you’re just looking for something big and showy it’s a decent fit, but it won’t wow you, and likely won’t inspire you to get in to the theatre going habit. (Pun intended, of course.)

Media Morsels 5.20.11

• Theatre Award Season Update
  Several awards were presented this week. Here's a round up:
  
• Astaire Awards (the only award to recognize excellence in dance on stage and film)
  Sutton Foster and Norbert Leo Butz took home honors for their dancing in Anything Goes and Catch Me if You Can, respectively, and Susan Stroman took home the award for best choreography on stage for her work on The Scottsboro Boys. Visit Backstage.com for the full list of winners, and check out Broadwayworld.com's photos from the evening.
  
  
• Outer Critics Circle Awards (recognizing excellence on and off-Broadway)
  Winners included War Horse, The Book of Mormon, The Normal Heart, Anything Goes, Josh Gad, Sutton Foster and Mark Rylance (for Jerusalem, not La Bete). In addition, The Whipping Man was honored with the John Gassner Award, presented to a new American play. Visit Playbill.com for the complete list of winners.
  
  
• Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards
  Fans vote on these awards. I think they got it wrong in several categories (and I voted so I get to complain) but they did get it right in one category: the Favorite Replacement honor went to Billie Joe Armstrong for his work at St Jimmy in American Idiot. Visit Broadway.com for the full list of winners, and for photos.
  
  
• Obie Awards
  The off-Broadway awards, the Obies, were handed out this week. The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity took home the award for Best New Play; Andre Braugher (The Whipping Man), Hamish Linklater (The School for Lies) and Brenda Wehle (The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures) won performance honors; and Roger Rees and Alex Timbers were honored for directing Peter and the Starcatcher. Visit Playbill.com for the full list of winners and visit Broadwayworld.com for photos.
  
  
• New York Drama Critics' Circle
  Last week we learned the winners of the NYDCC awards. This week, lots of the theatre sites have photo coverage. Here are photos from TheaterMania; Broadway.com; and Broadwayworld.com.
  
  
• ITBA Awards
  The third annual Patrick Lee ITBA awards were announced this week, as well. (ITBA is the Independent Theatre Bloggers Association.) I'm proud of the choices my fellow bloggers and I made, honoring Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Walker; Jerusalem and Mark Rylance; The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity; Joe Iconis's ReWrite; and several other outstanding performances from this past season. You can visit Broadwayworld.com for the full press release, or watch below as Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Heidi Blickenstaff and Jeff Bowen (team [title of show] and creators of the upcoming Now. Here. This.) announce all the winners. Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who expressed something live in theatre this season. Thespis would be proud.

• Jon Stewart Welcomes Constitutional Scholar Richard Beeman
  Like me, Beeman has a pocket copy of the Constitution (we both received ours from the National Constitution Center) and, also like me, carries it around with him at all times!
  

The Daily Show - Exclusive - Richard Beeman Extended Interview Pt. 1
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

• One Acts Heading to Broadway
  This fall, Broadway will welcome three one-acts on one bill. Relatively Speaking will include one one-act each from Woody Allen, Ethan Coen and Elaine May. The play of plays will begin previews in September and open officially in October at a theatre to be announced. Stay tuned for details as they come out.
  
  
• LincTix
  Lincoln Center Theatre is getting into the cheap-tickets-for-young-adults game. Joining the ranks of Roundabout and MTC, LincTix is launching a discount program for theatregoers under 35. You can register for LincTix for free and then you'll be privy to special ticket offers. LincTix members will also be able to purchase tickets for all Lincoln Center Theatre productions for only $30. Visit LincTix.org to register and for more information.
  
  
• Dig This
• Sutton on Sesame: Sutton Foster recently spoke to the Wall Street Journal about taping an episode of Sesame Street.
  
  
• Jon Stewart talked with Bill O'Reilly about several things, including the all important question: "Why all the tsuris about saving Two and a Half Men?"
  
  
• In light of a lovely and lengthy conversation I had this week with the über-talented Joe Iconis, I leave you with "Rosalie," one of my Iconis favorites, sung here by Ian Kagey. Dig it!
  

Media Morsels 5.13.11

• Tony and Theatre Award Season Update
  The Tony Awards have a host, and it's a good one. Neil Patrick Harris will once again serve as host for Broadway's biggest night. (He (successfully, in my opinion) hosted the Tonys in 2009.) According to Playbill.com, Harris said of the gig, "I'm honored and stoked...we've got a fantastic mix of live performances, a few secret surprises and, since they're closed for retooling, we're using all the rigging equipment from Spider-Man. What could possibly go wrong?" Yes, dear readers, it's going to be a good show! (Although, I should note, that Spider-Man just resumed previews this week.)
  
  New York Drama Critics' Circle: The NYDCC announced their winners this week. They've named Good People best play; Jerusalem best foreign play (it's imported from London); and The Book of Mormon best musical. They have also bestowed special citations upon The Normal Heart; Mark Rylance for his work in both La Bete and Jerusalem; and the direction, design and puppetry of War Horse. Visit Broadwayworld.com to learn which critics voted for what!
  
  Theatre World Awards: These awards honor actors making their New York stage debuts, whether on or off-Broadway. Among the honorees are Ellen Barkin (The Normal Heart), Arian Moayed (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) and Demin Borges (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), who had a guest spot on this week's The Good Wife. Visit Playbill.com for the full list of honorees.
  
  
• Play Ball!
  This week, the Broadway softball league opened, dear readers! What a wonderful time of year. For 57 years, theatre folks have gathered during the season to play ball. In recent years, the games were (and continue to be) held in Central Park every Thursday for about six weeks in the spring. NY1 caught up with several players, including Edie Falco, on opening day. Broadwayworld.com has photo coverage. And below, you can watch the amazing Aaron Tveit singing the national anthem. I love the Francis Scott Key Key.
  

• Catching Up with Broadway's Leading Men
  Two of Broadway's leading recently caught up with two media outlets each. First up, Jerusalem's Mark Rylance was profiled by a New Jersey website and then was interviewed by Time Out New York's David Cote. Next, the dashing Colin Donnell, currently starring as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, caught up with Paper magazine and Broadway.com. Both men do fantastic work in their respective shows, and both profiles offer a little insight into their process and life as a Broadway star. (And in case you missed it last week, check out what Rylance's Jerusalem co-star, John Gallagher, Jr., had to say when he caught up with Playbill.com.)
  
  Speaking of Mark Rylance, watch as he talks about wanting to give up acting. (Don't do it, Mark!)
  

• Tony Season Casualties
  Wonderland, which did not receive any Tony love, will close this Sunday, May 15. (Apparently it did not receive any audience love, either.) I saw the show last week (I reviewed it briefly in last week's Morsels) and while I didn't care for it and I'm glad that it opens up a theatre for some other show, it's still sad because it means all the people working on the show - actors, designers, technicians - are out of work. When the show closes it will have played 31 previews and 33 regular performances.
  
  
• Anything Goes...Backstage
  Apparently, the backstage antics of a professional Broadway show are no different than those of my high school productions. Check out this behind-the-scenes video from aboard Anything Goes, and visit Playbill.com for more video.
  

• Book of Mormon Updates
  
• The Book of Mormon original cast recording will be released digitally on May 17 and in stores on June7. You can preview all the songs now on NPR.com. Visit sh-k-boom.com to pre-order your copy.
  
  
• The popular musical will also launch a national tour in Denver in 2012.
  
  
• Read this informational article from the New York Times to learn about the road to Mormon.
  
  
• Visit Broadway.com everyday this month for a daily dose of Mormon videos.
  
  
• Dig This
• The Catch Me if You Can original cast recording will be released digitally on May 23 and in stores on June 28. Visit sh-k-boom.com to pre-order your copy.
  
  
• The [title of show] team is back with Now. Here. This., which will be presented at the Vineyard Theatre in June. I'll be sure to bring you a full report.
  
  
• Last week we saw the premiere of the Catch Me if You Can commercial. This week, go behind the scenes of the shoot!