Jeannette Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 (edited) Opening a thread for the NY Met season premiere, featuring the Eastern US premiere of Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate. I can’t wait to see and review this special event, with: Tita - Cassandra Trenary Pedro - Herman Cornejo Mama Elena - Christine Schevchenko Rosaura - Hee Seo Gertrudis - Catherine Hurlin Dr. Brown - Thomas Forster ??Juan - Aran Bell or Carlos Gonzalez?? (Bell danced Juan at the Orange County premiere in March.) Conductor - Alondra de la Parra Nacha may be played by corps member Courtney Levine, who was a co-presenter of ABT’s recent insight event - a pop-up Book Club - which can be viewed on YouTube (also with Trenary, Cornejo, Esquivel & Wheeldon and co-moderator Amy Brandt of POINTE Magazine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqnMhJBCs0&pp=ygUpTGlrZSBXYXRlciBmb3IgQ2hvY29sYXRlIHBvcCB1cCBib29rIGNsdWI%3D Lets go, ABT! 🎉 Edited June 18, 2023 by Jeannette 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted June 18, 2023 Author Share Posted June 18, 2023 p.s. I’ll try to move this to the performances thread once that there’s a review. 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 In the meantime, there is a substantial preview piece by Marina Harss in today's Links, with photos from ABT's US Premiere of the work in California earlier this year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josette Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Aran Bell danced Juan once in Orange County in March, at the Saturday matinee, but Bell did not dance Juan on opening night. I was there. He was wonderful - dashing and charismatic. Carlos Gonzalez danced Juan on opening night and sizzled. I was happy to see that Gonzalez will be dancing Pedro in New York and I suspect that he will be more satisfying than one or two of the Pedros I saw in O.C. Daniel Camargo was the stand-out Pedro - as good as The Royal Ballet Pedros, whom I all saw last June in London. Given that Camargo was a Principal with Stuttgart, it was not surprising that he would have all the qualities to give a beautiful performance with depth, projection, and superb dancing and partnering I am also happy to see that Skyler Brandt, who portrayed Gertrudis wonderfully with ABT, will be dancing Tita in NY, and that the delightful Zimmi Coker will dance Gertrudis in NY. Generally speaking, ABT dancers did not come across with the same energy and understanding as the dancers of The Royal Ballet, but The Royal Ballet is a tough act to follow and ABT's performances were a letdown from my having seen five performances in London. I had a hard time with the first-cast leading couple, whom I have enjoyed many times in other works. Additionally, I very much missed not having "supporting" cast members Isabella Gasparini, Calvin Richardson, and Gary Avis, among others, to watch. The scene with Mama Elena with her suitor and family went for next-to-nothing (notwithstanding Christine Shevchenko excellent as Mama Elena) with ABT, but that scene made a dramatic impact with the insightful Royal Ballet dance-actors. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 Excited to hear about ABT’s interpretation on the met opera stage. I just wanted to say I recently checked on ABT’s website to see how tickets had sold on theses run of performances, last time I checked there were a lot of empty seats. Do these shows need a shorter run? I’m not saying that the met opera company is doing well in terms of sales either but Shouldn't ABT be doing less shows? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 7 minutes ago, Benjamin said: Excited to hear about ABT’s interpretation on the met opera stage. I just wanted to say I recently checked on ABT’s website to see how tickets had sold on theses run of performances, last time I checked there were a lot of empty seats. Do these shows need a shorter run? I’m not saying that the met opera company is doing well in terms of sales either but Shouldn't ABT be doing less shows? Benjamin, I’m going to the opening night to support the present ABT. It’s up to the new AD, Susan Jaffe, and the Board, to lead the company to a repertoire that pulls it up. Hopefully they realize that classics - pointe shoes, tutus, tiaras and grand Petipa-style set pieces - are the bread and butter of their existence. Ratmansky knew this when he crafted Whipped Cream - a new ballet full of old-style glamour. Literary classic Jane Eyre just told a tale, without a tutu or fouetté in place. I hope that LWFC strikes a happy medium with the crowd. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 2 hours ago, Jeannette said: Benjamin, I’m going to the opening night to support the present ABT. It’s up to the new AD, Susan Jaffe, and the Board, to lead the company to a repertoire that pulls it up. Hopefully they realize that classics - pointe shoes, tutus, tiaras and grand Petipa-style set pieces - are the bread and butter of their existence. Ratmansky knew this when he crafted Whipped Cream - a new ballet full of old-style glamour. Literary classic Jane Eyre just told a tale, without a tutu or fouetté in place. I hope that LWFC strikes a happy medium with the crowd. It's interesting you mentioned Jane Eyre (which had been created on Northern Ballet by Cathy Marston). IIRC the New York public & critics were underwhelmed to say the least but the Chicago audience and critics loved it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said: It's interesting you mentioned Jane Eyre (which had been created on Northern Ballet by Cathy Marston). IIRC the New York public & critics were underwhelmed to say the least but the Chicago audience and critics loved it. You’re right, Jan. There’s joy and art in the Literary Classics Genre but Met audiences expect a certain old style glamour…tiaras and tulle. Even the divide between the NYCB/Balanchine-Clean and ABT/Petipa-Bling audiences is notable. I believe that the rich and colorful design elements (by Bob Crowley and teammates Katz and Halls) will make a difference in the reception of LWFC. Grand in the RB film and, I’m sure, even more impressive live at the Met. Edited June 19, 2023 by Jeannette 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted June 22, 2023 Author Share Posted June 22, 2023 Already in NYC early for this evening’s Eastern. US premiere of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. Woohoo! Good rail journey from DC. 🚆 Back to Puerto Rico on Saturday. ✈️ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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