The New York City Ballet, at the David H. Koch Theater, presented a
varied program of four ballets. Pulcinella Variations, music by Igor
Stravinsky, choreography by Justin Peck, gave all the soloists to
display their talents, in colorful costumes by Tsumori Chisato,
especially Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen in Serenata, and Sean
Suozzi in Tarantella. The Bitter Earth, music by Max
Richter and Clyde Otis, choreography by Christopher Wheeldon,
featured Teresa Reichlen and Ask La Cour, who danced the short
piece beautifully. The Runaway, music by Nico Muhly, Kanye West, Jay-Z and James
Blake, with a violin and piano soloist, plus taped songs, choreography by Kyle
Abraham in collaboration with NYCB, was a disappointment. The taped songs
were loud and unpleasant. The costumes and fright wigs by Giles Deacon were
unattractive. The program concluded on a high note with Fearful Symmetries,
music by John Adams, choreography by Peter Martins, in which all
the wonderful dancers displayed the magnificent technique that delights a ballet
audience. Andrews Sill conducted the orchestra.
The New York City Ballet, at David H. Koch Theater, presented a program of three
of their popular ballets. The first and the third were two ballets, with music
by Leonard
Bernstein,
choreography by Jerome
Robbins. Fancy Free is
about three sailors in New York City in 1944 drinking in a bar, and meeting
three young ladies outside on the street. It formed the basis of the successful
Broadway musical On
the Town.
The six dancers were greeted with a well deserved thunderous ovation. West
Side Story Suite is
based on another successful Broadway musical West
Side Story.
The dancers and singers also received well deserved applause. It tells the story
of two two rival teenage gangs fighting each other on the West Side of
Manhattan. The second ballet was Prodigal
Son,
music by Sergei
Prokofiev, choreography
by George
Balanchine.
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The Prodigal son (Joaquin
De Luz)
leaves home, and is seduced by The
Siren (Maria
Kowroski).
He is robbed and abandoned, and
returns home sadder and wiser, and
welcomed back by his father. The two
leading dancers were marvelous,
and the audience rewarded them with
many curtain calls. Andrew
Litton conducted
the orchestra. It was my final visit
of the fall season, and I enjoyed
every program. What a jewel is the
New York City Ballet! I have admired
the company since 1951, and seeing
them perform is one of the most
delightful moments of my
theatre-going experiences.
My Parsifal Conductor,
by Allan
Leicht, at
the Majorie Dean Little Theater at
the West Side YMCA, is a production
of the Directors Company. The title
refers to the appointment of a
Jewish conductor Hermann Levi (Geoffrey Cantor),
who is chosen to conduct the first
Parsifal at Bayreuth in 1882.
Richard Wagner (Eddie
Korbich)
opposes the choice of a Jew to
conduct his last opera. When he
fails, he tries to persuade Levi to
become a Christian. The two
fine actors dominate the play. The
seven member cast, is directed by Robert
Kalfin.
The set design of Harry
Feiner is
impressive. We first see Wagner's
wife Cosima in bed in 1930, where
she recalls the incidents that took
place between 1880 and 1886,
and then she comments on what is
taking place during those years.
Midnight at The Never Get, book,
music and lyrics by Mark
Sonnenblick, co-conceived by Sam
Bolen, is a production of the
York Theatre Company. It is about
two gay men in the late 1960's in
Greenwich Village, New York City.
One (Jeremy
Cohen) is a songwriter and the
other (Sam Bolen) sings his songs.
They become lovers during a time
when homosexuals were persecuted by
the police. It follows their life,
which ends sadly for both. A third
actor (Jon
J. Peterson) (photo below of
3 cast members) is the singer as he
grows old. All three are fine
singers, directed by Max
Friedman (photo below with
costume designer Vanessa Leuck).The
opening night party took place at
Lips Restaurant, 227 East 56th St,
which as the ad states is New York's
ULTIMATE Drag Queen Show Palace,
where we congratulated the cast and
creative team.
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