A Wednesday matinee, nonstop rain, many empty seats at the Met, an audience that did not know when to applaud, and didn't seem to care about applauding, either . . . Multiple elements combined to prevent today's Lane-Simkin Giselle from reaching the top-drawer level of last year. That breathless, edge-of-the-seat astonishment which was palpable at Lane's debut performance was missing today. And while a rainy day can put a damper on anything, an electric performance on stage should be able jolt a sleepy, apathetic audience utterly awake. Even during Lane's stunning Act I performance, response from the audience was so muted, it was as if they were home watching TV. I was greatly relieved to hear, finally, some applause coming from other …show more content…
She moved so very slowly, held on, and kept going, but that was the first indication to me that something was no longer the same. Then there was Simkin's trouble with the lifts - after all these years, he's still having trouble with lifts! I also noticed Lane's odd head and neck movements, but it struck me that this was part of her performance, as if she were experimenting with character nuance. Her Act II Giselle was far less of a blank-faced ghost than last year. Maybe that's not the usual classical interpretation, but Christine Shevchenko's Myrta was also very vividly emotional, a far cry from last year's much milder performance. Her astonishment at her inability to separate Albrecht and Giselle, her triumphant pleasure at forcing Albrecht to continue dancing - it was great to see how much she has grown into the role. Gabe Stone Shayer in the peasant pas de deux was a real revelation for me. His wonderful, classical lines, with movement stretching through his limbs completely, all the way out to hands and feet, his supreme musicality - this was the first time I've seen him dance this way. He landed his jumps perfectly. With the music. Perfectly. His only problem seemed to be the big toothy grin which never left his face. He and Catherine Hurlin danced very well together, but it seemed an odd pairing - on pointe, she is at least two inches taller than he
...ical and close together. This dance involved a lot of spinning and pelvic motion, which added to the flirtatious mood; all of these movements were done in sync with the tempo of the music. Furthermore, Rhoden did a wonderful job of conveying trust in the relationships. Rhoden did this by having the danseurs catch the ballerinas in motion while in the air. The female dancers did a lot of leaps and sashays, which also added to the happy mood.
The audience is an important factor to determine the success of a spectacle. It is known that there is no spectacle without audience. The musical theater presentations are known for their number of people, which according to the Broadway League (n.d.), the 2013 season reached attendance of 11.57 million. However, the number of spectators has been decreased in comparison with the peak of popularity for musicals in the last century. The first reason for that is that the spectators of musical theater presentations were a more specific group such as wealthy and intellectual people that used to go to this type of presentation, and this pattern has been consistent until now, as it can be seen in the price of a Broadway spectacle that is very expensive. Second, the spectators have to go where the spectacles are set up, which makes the live presenta...
The way he carries himself and his voice inflections really make the viewer feel like they are in the time period and can envision themselves in the scene of the play. The actor himself really seemed to believe in the play. The way he stormed out of the Ballyhoo scene, it was obvious that he was passionate about the play and really bought into the role. At other times, he spoke to everyone like a true gentleman. The kissing scene was a soft spot in the play, and he did a great job of the whole kiss and the speaking leading up to it. In addition, the actor did a great job of using a different voice in the play. Eastern European Jews were known for speaking differently that German Jews, and his voice was unique and correct for the time
The vision and idea the director wanted for this play made the play achieve its full potential and helped delivered a message. The play was overall staged effectively and I appreciate the decision for slanting the floor in order for the audience to see more of the play. This was a nice addition for this production. The pace flowed accordingly and I was never truly bored at any scene during the play. The play engaged me all throughout its runtime. The casting the director made was done correctly and it showed in the way each actor was able to play their role successfully. An example of where the casting was well done would be Matthew’s bestfriend. I saw that she was fit for her role and her acting made her character believable. Overall, the directing decisions were all done right and benefitted the
Not only was it evident that the dancers had worked hard, but that ballet was truly something was inherently a part of them, so much that many of them would have had a void within them that would be hard to fill without this art form in their lives. This was incredibly evident from the outstanding choreography, and how each dancer was like a part of a clock working together to solidify the haunting story of Madame Butterfly. I also loved how each character had different characterizations to help silently establish who they were. For example, much of Pinkerton’s movements were sharp, while Butterfly’s were more slow and graceful. I also loved how mirroring was used to help establish and solidify relationships of characters. For example, in the second act, after Sharpless has read Butterfly the letter from Pinkerton, Suzuki and Butterfly have very similar choreography that works to compliment and define the strength of their relationship. I also noticed how there was very similar choreography when Pinkerton introduced Kate as his wife, as there was for when he introduced Butterfly as his wife. I think this choreography enhanced who Kate was, and how much harm Pinkerton was actually causing Butterfly by not only finding her replacement, but by taking the only thing that Butterfly could remember him by: His
Throughout the musical, the prowess of each individual performer was on display. Every performer, with the exception of Kristine, expressed a power and vibrato that was breathtaking; the highest notes lilting and the lowest notes thundering. I was in awe during a majority of the performances because of the commanding singing in each performer.
The element that stood out the most to me was how effectively the music and the footwork corresponded. The best examples of this are seen through the dancers solos. Especially Albrecht's solo, his feet glide on the stage at the same tempo as the music. Similarly, Giselle's graceful footwork is truly amazing. I really like the similarities between the choreographed footwork and the music, it makes Giselle seem much more elegant and beautiful. This also seems to make the work look more put together and in sync because the dancers are dancing in harmony with the orchestra. The choreography by itself is amazing. The footwork is rapid and intricate, however, at the same time it is delicate and graceful. The ballerina (Giselle) made it look very easy to do the choreography, when it rea...
I find the way he uses his hands a little self-concious, though I rather appreciate a young male dancer giving thought to such things. In general I thought he was maybe a little too self-concious in his (quite excellent) dancing, but this may also have been debut nerves. I would be very happy to see more of
performance to a major degree reflects the spirit of the times, and some of today's 'authentic' performances have less to do with historical accuracy, attempting rather to produce a performance which, in John Eliot Gardiner's words, will 'excite modern listeners.' (Sartorius)
Because the colors, lines, costumes, and movements I could tell that the artist intended for the viewers to get emotional. My overall opinion of this piece was that I liked it very much. When looking around at the audience, I could tell the artist was getting the reaction they wanted because the audience was very quiet, many people looked like they connected with this piece, and some were crying. I thought Jeffrey did especially good in this dance because he carried his moves out to the very max and displayed great emotion. The piece overall was
I am all alone at the back of the theater with my hands on the faders, my ears are warm, and my eyes fixed ahead, the curtain rises. Theater as an art form is ephemeral in nature as is most performance based pieces. That exclusivity and privilege to come to the theater engage in a communal experience is quiet profound. In 100 years, tonights performance will be just a faint memory, if that. Thats where the true beauty of it is for me; knowing that this performance is unique to each audience member as well as to me and never to be experienced again.
Good afternoon Wes, This is my reply to your rebuttal. 1. I was not in your office for that long. 2. Many more issues were brought to your attention besides those three.
I originally planned to leave after the intermission, but after listening to this piece and the others, elected to stay and listen to more classical music. The movement kept me very engaged. I did not doze off or lose focus during it. The constant changes kept me on my toes, not sure what was coming next. The end was seemingly coming before a drastic change in dynamic and tempo would come in and change the perspective of the song.
On Thursday April 14, 2016 my wife and I attended University of South Carolina at Aiken’s production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in the O’Connell Theater. As we walked into to the theater the mood changed from being formal out front with the ticket takers to a more laid back beachy atmosphere inside. The theater was small but cozy, most of the attendees were dressed in very casual attire. We chose our seats on the front row, they were so close I could use the simulated golf course at a foot stool. The energy of the audience was very vibrant much like the set that towered over the stage mimicking a feel of Key West Florida.
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...