(Casts vary through the run, with many of the professional roles triple-, quadruple- or even quintuple-cast.) He is teaching the dolls how to move realistically, but he’s in a hurry to get to the Silberhaus’ Christmas party, so he transforms the dancer-dolls back into foot-long versions that can be packed neatly into gift boxes. The huge central tool-cabinet and handsome workbenches on either side help flesh out Herr Drosselmeier as a personality (we always wondered what he really did with his time), and on opening night Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye captured the odd fellow’s elegant mystery while imbuing him with a bit of the doddering tinkerer. This year, instead of the curtain opening to a dark, anonymous street scene, the show opens in Drosselmeier’s gorgeously outfitted workshop, where the magician-uncle is putting finishing touches on life-sized dancing dolls for the tykes. All photos by Rosalie O’Connor / Courtesy Kansas City Balletīut that is to jump ahead. There was much to entertain the eye and mind through the busy Act II “variations,” but the initial impression was to yearn for some of the detailed focus on individual dancers that was a hallmark of Todd’s compact, Balanchine-derived version. At the same time Devon and his company have filled Act II so full of dancers and props that one will need a few years to digest it all, though on a first take it felt overloaded. The best news is that Act I, which in KCB’s dance-theater-heavy previous version by Todd Bolender was a bit of a snooze until the mice showed up, has been brought brilliantly to life. While clearly still a work in progress (opening night featured a handful of missteps), the Ballet’s busy new version could very well serve as a durable Nutcracker for many years to come. The forcefully lavish production, which opened December 5th at the Kauffman Center, presents enough visual dazzle, physical fun and meticulously rethought choreography to suggest that the reported two-million-dollar price tag was not inordinately high, in light of the result. So the Ballet hired an international team of designers and set out to create, in near-record time, a Nutcracker that would make national news. When the Kansas City Ballet under Artistic Director Devon Carney challenged itself to create its first new Nutcracker in 34 years, the pressure was to craft a production that would make a splash initially but also form a foundation that the company can use, year after year, for at least a couple of decades. At best it seamlessly integrates the colors and stagecraft that keep holiday audiences coming back with the ballet traditions on which the 1892 Russian classic is based. Each production of The Nutcracker is to some extent a balancing act between spectacle and dance.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |