Peter Martins, artistic director of the NYCB, has staged a full length ballet to the Tchaikovsky score, which is uncommon terrority for the troupe. Uncommon, because it rarely presents full-length story ballet. Uncommon because, in the Balanchine tradition, NYCB usually offers pared down minimalist dances — pas de deux, pas de dix — with no scenery and very little costume ornamentation. So it was quite a surprise to see this grand production at the New York State Theater. And grand it was. The overdone costumes (where did they find some of those fabrics? Mood?) were this side of garish and the set, including slide projections of the castle grounds, were a bit laugh inducing. But the brambles that eventually overtook the castle were quite striking and the sumptuous wedding scene was a feast for the eyes. The dancing was top notch, of course, but each of the dancers lacked emotional expression in their faces. Not uncommon for NYCB. Their miming was very limited, but effective. In the end, I wanted more passion, especially between Prince Désiré and Aurora. Oh, and I'd forgotten that the Disney film's "Once Upon A Dream" has a borrowed melody from the Tchaikovsky score. A bit weird watching hunters do a garland dance to it.
Someone should inquire with the costume designer about her inspiration for the character Carabotte. Perhaps she saw Shelley Duvall's "Faerie Tale Theater" version from 1983 (in which Christopher Reeve plays the handsome Prince, Bernadette Peters plays Sleeping Beauty, and Beverly D'Angelo plays the evil Henbane) and decided to borrow, or rather 'pay homage' to it?
Ticket price: $0
