Scottish Ballet in A Streetcar Named Desire

[SheilaC]

I went to the final performance in Edinburgh of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's two act ballet based on the famous play by Tennessee Williams. First created 11 years ago, to great success, it has not been performed for eight years.

 

The only disappointment was when I arrived at the theatre early and discovered that no programmes were available. Theatre staff said that the company had run out of programmes- even though the company is taking it to five further venues!

 

However, the ballet is a masterpiece. It tells the story clearly and sympathetically, avoiding the many possible pitfalls of the violent and disturbing plot; none of the sex and sadism depicted is gratuitous, and apparently there was an intimacy adviser to enable the dancers to feel comfortable despite the brutality they have to enact at times. Director Nancy Meckler keeps the action fast and flowing, it never flags. The music, composed by Peter Salem (who also composed Scottish Ballet's The Crucible and ENB's Broken Wings- not to mention Call the Midwife tunes!) is lively, varied, at times jagged and menacing, often jazz infused and provides an excellent underpinning for the choreography. The scenery is versatile, costing a tiny fraction of the new Cinderella's, yet even more appropriate to the action.

 

Lopez Ochoa's choreography is varied, depicting the emotional journey of Blanche as she searches for love and redemption and the differing sexual encounters she initiates and her close relationship with her sister Stella. There is light relief with lindy jives and other moves for the corps. There are several casts, including one with Ryoichi Hirano, who will dance two performances in Edinburgh (May3, 5). I saw Roseanna Leney as Blanche, her first major role, but you would not believed that, she seemed almost as good as Vivien Leigh in the film or Gillian Anderson in the play, her movements, including her fluttering hands, conveying her emotional state.. Her sister Stella was danced by Constance Devernay-Laurence, a very experienced and charismatic dancer, who was very good in Mayerling, and her affection for Blanche yet the difference between the two sisters highlighted the eventual tragedy. Evan Loudon was the sexy, savage husband Stanley. The choreography revealed the personalities and weaknesses of each and the technical and interpretive skills of the dancers produced a compelling evening.

 

If only the ballet could be seen widely in England. But the production shows how strong and versatile the company is, fielding several casts for an intensely dramatic work, as it also did recently for their version of Mayerling (which I prefer to the full Royal Ballet production because it is more focused), their modern take on Coppelia and the various productions of ballet classics.

[maryrosesatonapin]

Oh, I do hope I can see this one day! Everything I have seen by SB has been great.

[alison]

In my opinion, Streetcar is a better work than their Coppelia - highly recommended, although I think it was said on Radio 3 the other day that the Edinburgh and Glasgow runs were sold out? (do check - I may have mistaken the venues)

 

Our discussion of the 2015 performances is here:

 

[LinMM]

I’d love to see this …perhaps they could get it down as far as Leicester or Birmingham!! 

[Jan McNulty]

21 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I’d love to see this …perhaps they could get it down as far as Leicester or Birmingham!! 

 

I know Scottish Ballet have occasionally made it as far as London in recent years but it is now quite a few years since they have made it south of the border which I think is something to do with the Arts Councils and issues with cross-border funding.  

[SheilaC]

There were a few seats available at Edinburgh performances when I checked last night before posting, Alison. The R3 In Tune discussion (well worth catching up on BBC Sounds- a very interesting interview with the composer and some attractive excerpts from the score) only referred to Glasgow being sold out.

I'm sure I'd agree with you about Coppelia, I didn't even bother travelling to London to see it as I could tell that it wouldn't be the sort of ballet I like. I don't particularly like their Swan Lake, either, although I like some of David Dawson's other ballets, and others on the forum love it.

[Emeralds]

Thanks, SheilaC for the review- the ballet sounded so interesting when I saw it announced on the company website. Would be great if they could bring it to Sadler’s Wells next season! 

[alisonruss]

I was in Scotland last week, visiting family, and we attended the first performance of the sold out Glasgow run of ‘Streetcar’, starting on its Scottish spring tour, the first part of which ends in Edinburgh in early May. Blanche was marvellously performed by Marge Hendrick: Bethany Kingsley-Garner threw herself, sometimes literally, into the role of Stella, and Ryoichi Hirano depicted well the explosive brutality of Stanley. Jerome Barnes as Mitch danced a wonderful solo, which is one of the few lighter moments in the piece. The whole cast carried the audience with them through the scenes and one could palpably feel the tension in the theatre rise as each of the two acts neared their conclusion. (The banner for the production in 'What's On' on the company's website now has clips of this cast).

 

The story is generally told in a linear and almost cinematic fashion, moving without pause from one scene to the next. I liked the sparseness of the set design and loved the lighting design. (I was informed by someone in the know, that it is a lot more complex than the hanging bare lightbulbs would suggest.) The music, by Peter Salem who also wrote the score for ‘The Crucible’, is also rather cinematic, with nods to various American mid-century music styles, and was strongly performed by a comparatively small orchestra, under the baton of Robert Baxter. As to the staging, what I found particularly effective was the way that some comparatively small movements were so telling, such as the fluttering hands in the light of a single lightbulb, so reminiscent of moths attracted to a light.

 

I loved it!

 

But I believe it has already been twice to Sadlers Wells, so I rather doubt the ballet will go south of the border again, for financial reasons. Even with the sponsorship they are receiving for the dates, taking the production to Kirkwall and Stornoway in June will be a massive financial undertaking for the company, as they will have to construct stages for the performances. And they have their three-city American tour with ‘The Crucible’ in between the May and June dates.

 

A couple of amendments if I may… 

Roseanna Leney was made principal in December 2022, when she was dancing the major roles of the Snow Queen and Gerda in the ballet ‘The Snow Queen’. I saw her perform Countess Larisch in last year’s ‘Scandal at Mayerling’, and she has also danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Darrell’s version of ‘The Nutcracker’.

 

For the past few years, except when Covid scuppered the schedule, Scottish Ballet have visited the Theatre Royal, Newcastle at the end of their Christmas production tour, generally in early February. Dates for the Christmas tour for 23/24 are on their website. Which is south of the border, although not as far south as some would like.

 

It is interesting to note that Scottish Ballet are performing three consecutive productions by female choreographers this year: Coppelia/Jess and Morgs; A Streetcar Named Desire/Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Nancy Meckler; The Crucible/Helen Pickett. Is this a first for a British ballet company?

[Sim]

Thanks for that wonderful review, @alisonruss   Great to hear from you.  🙂

[Emeralds]

14 hours ago, alisonruss said:

I was in Scotland last week, visiting family, and we attended the first performance of the sold out Glasgow run of ‘Streetcar’, starting on its Scottish spring tour, the first part of which ends in Edinburgh in early May. Blanche was marvellously performed by Marge Hendrick: Bethany Kingsley-Garner threw herself, sometimes literally, into the role of Stella, and Ryoichi Hirano depicted well the explosive brutality of Stanley. Jerome Barnes as Mitch danced a wonderful solo, which is one of the few lighter moments in the piece. The whole cast carried the audience with them through the scenes and one could palpably feel the tension in the theatre rise as each of the two acts neared their conclusion. (The banner for the production in 'What's On' on the company's website now has clips of this cast).

 

The story is generally told in a linear and almost cinematic fashion, moving without pause from one scene to the next. I liked the sparseness of the set design and loved the lighting design. (I was informed by someone in the know, that it is a lot more complex than the hanging bare lightbulbs would suggest.) The music, by Peter Salem who also wrote the score for ‘The Crucible’, is also rather cinematic, with nods to various American mid-century music styles, and was strongly performed by a comparatively small orchestra, under the baton of Robert Baxter. As to the staging, what I found particularly effective was the way that some comparatively small movements were so telling, such as the fluttering hands in the light of a single lightbulb, so reminiscent of moths attracted to a light.

 

I loved it!

 

But I believe it has already been twice to Sadlers Wells, so I rather doubt the ballet will go south of the border again, for financial reasons. Even with the sponsorship they are receiving for the dates, taking the production to Kirkwall and Stornoway in June will be a massive financial undertaking for the company, as they will have to construct stages for the performances. And they have their three-city American tour with ‘The Crucible’ in between the May and June dates.

 

A couple of amendments if I may… 

Roseanna Leney was made principal in December 2022, when she was dancing the major roles of the Snow Queen and Gerda in the ballet ‘The Snow Queen’. I saw her perform Countess Larisch in last year’s ‘Scandal at Mayerling’, and she has also danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Darrell’s version of ‘The Nutcracker’.

 

For the past few years, except when Covid scuppered the schedule, Scottish Ballet have visited the Theatre Royal, Newcastle at the end of their Christmas production tour, generally in early February. Dates for the Christmas tour for 23/24 are on their website. Which is south of the border, although not as far south as some would like.

 

It is interesting to note that Scottish Ballet are performing three consecutive productions by female choreographers this year: Coppelia/Jess and Morgs; A Streetcar Named Desire/Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Nancy Meckler; The Crucible/Helen Pickett. Is this a first for a British ballet company?

I think it may be a first in recent times, possibly not a first in the first half of the 20th century (I don’t know for certain either way), as they did have a lot of women choreographing at some point in Britain (Ninette de Valois, Andrée Howard, Bronislava Nijinska etc), often out of necessity because of two world wars and a revolution in Russia, and records haven’t lasted. But it’s fantastic that Scottish Ballet are supporting talented female choreographers so well. 

[Emeralds]

2024 (Sadler's Wells Theatre 16-19 May): 

 

I thought I'd resurrect/bump up this thread rather than starting a new one as the title still works for a new year 🙂 and the reviews and feedback by @SheilaC and other members can be useful for readers thinking of seeing it for the first time. Just noticed after glancing at last year's posts that the company "granted" my wish that they might bring it to Sadler's Wells in 2024! Probably a coincidence but how thrilling!

 

The company notes that this is the first return of this popular and acclaimed production in London since 2015, so there should some exciting London debuts in key roles.

 

Casting hasn't been posted yet but I'll post it here when I see it.

 

There are matinées on Sat 18th and Sun 19th. Tickets are selling fast (opening night is almost sold out) with the best availability (currently) at the matinées.

Edited May 2 by Emeralds

[art_enthusiast]

Looking forward to it, I have a ticket for the 16th

[Irmgard]

I cannot recommend this ballet highly enough!  I saw it performed by the Estonian National Ballet in 2017 and was quite simply bowled over by it.  Nancy Meckler did a fabulous job in creating a 'prequel' to where the play starts and Lopez Ochoa's inventive and engaging choreography not only narrates the story with clarity but allows the dancers to create characters of great emotional depth.  I cannot wait to see it performed by Scottish Ballet at Sadler's Wells Theatre!

[alison]

I think I've seen it in two separate runs already   It's a goody.

[Lifeafterballet]

Streetcar was my son’s first ballet performance with Estonian National 4 years ago. I watched him recently dance the role of Alan, Blanche’s husband and fell in love with the tragic and haunting story. Our favourite ballet, second to their production of Anna Karenina. 

[Emeralds]

Casting for the Sadler's Wells performances up this evening:

 

16th, 18th matinee, 19th:

Blanche- Marge Hendrick

Stanley- Evan Loudon 

Stella- Claire Souet

Shepp Huntley- Benjamin Thomas 

 

17th, 18th evening:

Blanche- Roseanna Leney

Stanley- Benjamin Thomas 

Stella- Jessica Fyfe

Shepp Huntley- Evan Loudon

 

Thomas Edwards dances Mitch. Javier Andreu dances Alan  and Aarón Venegas dances Jeff at all performances. 

 

Casting is subject to changes. Check daily cast updates on:  https://scottishballet.co.uk/discover/our-repertoire/a-streetcar-named-desire/a-streetcar-named-desire-cast-list/#19-may-664534046663a

[LinMM]

Unfortunately I’d already booked Winters Tale for the 15th before I realised this was also on so as already staying on an extra day this week for WT it’s  not possible to see it this week now. 

[art_enthusiast]

Well this is fantastic!

[zxDaveM]

2 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Well this is fantastic!

 

tip-top, from start to finish. I really wish I was seiing it again!

[art_enthusiast]

15 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

 

tip-top, from start to finish

 

Yes indeed. What beautiful choreography, and the seamless way the sets/backgrounds changed and transitioned was extremely good, the sound design, wow. I'm really impressed at how they managed to evoke the atmosphere/setting/time period so well with not a lot on stage, it was very subtle and just extremely well organised. The whole team involved in this deserve all the awards! 

 

It was my first time seeing this but I did briefly study the play in school, and watched the film with Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. I have a feeling that they would be proud of this if they saw it. It evoked the characters and story incredibly well. The cast was absolutely brilliant. Marge Hendrick, Evan Loudon, Claire Souet - wow. What a very strong company the Scottish Ballet is (I have only seen their Coppelia before as well as this, would love to see more from them but I am quite far away from Scotland!)

 

The dancer being Alan, Javier Andreu, was just superb. The height of his jumps! But that applies to the whole company really, absolutely on point!

[alison]

Scottish do travel south of the border fairly regularly 😀

[SheilaC]

1 hour ago, alison said:

Scottish do travel south of the border fairly regularly 😀

But mostly just to Newcastle in February, every year,

with an Xmas-related show, and to Sadlers Wells. I 

 agree with art_enthusiast and Dave that Streetcar is an amazing tour de force- as a ballet, a theatrical tour de force, with the dancers on the top of their game.

[Jan McNulty]

7 hours ago, alison said:

Scottish do travel south of the border fairly regularly 😀

Only to London and Newcastle…

[art_enthusiast]

22 hours ago, SheilaC said:

agree with art_enthusiast and Dave that Streetcar is an amazing tour de force- as a ballet, a theatrical tour de force, with the dancers on the top of their game.

 

Absolutely. My sister saw it last night and came back saying it is one of the best ballets/theatrical works she has ever seen, and felt like "watching a movie" given how quickly she became engrossed. Deserves all the accolades! I hope it has received many.

[San Perregrino]

I’d forgotten just how good this production is. Magic. A superbly atmospheric and evocative score, concise storytelling and beautifully drawn and detailed choreography. No mixed media gimmicks. And the packed house was spellbound as one. A gem. 

[maryrosesatonapin]

We went to see today's matinee (Hendrick/Loudon/Souet/Thomas) and it was terrific. I've not seen it before.  To me, this is what a modern ballet should be, in every department; its production costs must be a fraction of A Winter's Tale but, like the country of Scotland itself, it punches well above its weight.  The story was clear, the music thoroughly enjoyable, the lighting outstanding, the stage sets an absolute delight, the ballet was so well-cast with terrific performances from every one of the dancers on stage.  This is a company with fewer than forty dancers, and there were sixteen - yes, a mere sixteen - performers in the orchestra, but it never sounded thin.  I felt the audience around me swept up in the emotion of this powerful story, as I was myself.  Kudos to SB once again. I couldn't fault it in any way.

[San Perregrino]

22 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

I’d forgotten just how good this production is. Magic. A superbly atmospheric and evocative score, concise storytelling and beautifully drawn and detailed choreography. No mixed media gimmicks. And the packed house was spellbound as one. A gem. 

I went again this afternoon and was just as engaged by the different cast.

it's a subtle way to indicate the formality and repressed nature of 'plantation life & past" but I noticed that the opening 'plantation' scenes have all the women en pointe including Stella. Stella arrives in New Orleans en pointe but then after taking up with Stanley returns to stage wearing ballet slippers symbolising her new freer life?  All the women in New Orleans wear ballet slippers.

Blanche arrives in New Orleans en pointe and remains en pointe until the end of the story symbolising that she can't escape from her past?.