The cast lists for Sleeping Beauty Week 1 and Aurora/Desire pairings for Week 2 are up on the PNB website.

Aurora/Desire:

Nakamura/Wevers: Thurs, 13 April, 7:30 pm and Sun, 16 April, 1pm
Pantastico/Stanton: Fri, 14 April, 7:30 pm and Sat, 22 April, 1pm*
Imler/Bold: Sat, 15 April, 1pm* and Sat, 22 Apr, 7:30pm
Barker/Milov: Sat, 15 April, 7:30pm and Thurs, 20 April, 7:30pm
Vinson/Yin: Fri, 21 April, 7:30pm and Sun, 23 April, 1pm


*Note 1pm start. (Saturday matinees usually begin at 2pm.)


In Week 1:
Lilac Fairies are: Imler (with Nakamura), Lowenberg (with Pantastico), Korbes (with Imler), Lallone (with Barker)

Carabosse: Timothy Lynch and Olivier Wevers

Bluebird Pairs: Thomas/Poretta, Vinson/Yin, Chapman/Pankevich

Silver: Imler, Korbes, Vinson

Fairies: Korbes, Gilbreath, Eames, Dec, Foster, Vinson, Johnston, Rausch, Zimmerman, Reid, Thomas, Lowenberg, Pantastico, Chapman

Fleming Halby, who is retiring this year from the school, is performing as Gallison.

Seems like a lot of dancers are getting a chance at the leads. Of the Auroras, I've seen only Barker on stage (not in Sleeping Beauty). Is this degree of multiple casting standard at PNB -- or is is something Boal has brought in or expanded? What do Seattle regulars think about the policy? How much does the regular audience care about or respond to casting? With subscribers, is there any negative feedback when they're assigned a less experienced (or known) cast ad not one of the stars?

In the past it's gone both ways in terms of casting -- there have been programs where there have only been a couple of casts for main parts (the new Dominique Dumais in the last program had only one cast for all performances -- a logistical thing), and then we have programs like this, with 5 Auroras. When the company came back to a significantly remodeled (and renamed) McCaw Hall in the autumn of 2003 with a new production of Swan Lake, they had 5 Odettes, which didn't feel like a stunt, but more like a special event. I was very curious when I heard they were having so many Auroras here, but they have some women who have certainly "earned" the role, as well as others they are bringing up. It's been a balancing act for many years, and Stowell and Russell worked hard at it, especially moving younger dancers into new parts.

Part of the audience does follow individual performers, and is pleased to see them move into new roles. And some people like to look in the corps for the next new thing. I don't know that too many people get frustrated because a favorite doesn't get multiple performances, though I wish sometimes that I could see that maturation process within one program. Often, though, if I have a chance to see a certain program multiple times, I'll try to see as many different people in it as I can, rather than the same cast over again, especially if I'm reviewing.

One of the things Boal said in a Q&A after one of the Valentine programs is that in a full-length story ballet, there are a limited number of principal dancing roles. In Sleeping Beauty, there are six: Aurora, Desire, Bluebird, Princess Florine, Lilac Fairy, and Silver (in the Wedding act), and that's stretching it.

When NYCB does a two-week run of a ballet, that is 14 performances. It is possible to have three dancers do four each, with the other two by another one or two dancers. When PNB does a two-week run of a program, there are ten performances. With 13 active Principal Dancers and 5 active soloists, giving two casts of dancers four performances each leaves a lot of dancers with nothing to dance in the programs, unless they dance the "growth" roles, which takes opportunities away from the corps.

I'm not sure that three performances is necessarily that much better than two, in terms of role growth, but I may be mistaken. It seems to me like a very good strategy to give five casts the opportunity to dance such iconic roles, if they can't offer a solid run for multiple dancers. Some of the dancers may have had opportunities to perform the roles with other companies, so they are not coming into the ballets cold.

I, personally, like to see multiple casts, to see what each cast brings to the stage. I know some people have multiple subscriptions, but I don't know if they accept the casts as is, or if they use ticket exchange privileges to get a cast they prefer (new or repeat). I have one subscription that I share with a friend, and I schedule for other casts with single tickets. I also don't know what percentage of people go for the date vs. the performers.

The Practical: I suspect many parents will attend one of the four matinees with their children, unless their child must see Patricia Barker. (Who, taking her career one year at a time, might be dancing her last performances of the role, depending on when the production will be revived next.) Except during University of Washington football season, traffic tends to be much more reasonable for matinees, especially coming from the East Side, and for Seattle residents who have unreliable evening commutes.

The Cast-Driven: Leave early and often to see a specific cast.

I've been involved with PNB for about 12 years and during that time most full-lengths have had a least 4 cast of principals and often 5 or 6. The new Aurora this time around is Mara Vinson. Louise Nadeau has danced the role in the past but opted not to this time. She is coaching Kaori Nakamura and Olivier Wevers. I expect next year's Swan Lake will have at least five casts.

Request from New York for detailed reporting on Körbes' Lilac Fairy performances, please.

We miss her.

Come to think of it, when NYCB first premiered Peter Martins' production of Sleeping Beauty, there was a Dance Magazine feature article with a photo of the five ballerinas who would dance Aurora, which I think was over a two-week span. I also seem to remember that one was unable to dance the role because of injury.

Thanks for all your replies to my questions. Casting is such an interesting issue -- and one which is probably among the most difficult and controversial for a company leader.

When Miami does Giselle and Don Quijote this coming season, they'll have 14-15 performances of each, but in 4 different cities in our area. Usually one weekend of 3-5 performances in each place. Typically the 4-5 performances at West Palm will involve (for example) 3-4 principal Giselles/Albrecht pairs.

If I can be indulged for another question: what are your thoughts about the PNB Sleeping Beauty production? Anything noteworthy, controversial, or just plain special about it?

doug will be doing a preview of Sleeping Beauty at the Central Library in downtown Seattle:



http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=bran...d=1143046974384

Just to add my 2 cents. I have been a ballet fan for 40 years (20 at PNB). I operate exactly like Helene. My wife and I have subscription tickets, but I frequently go on my own a 2nd time specifically to see a 2nd cast. I almost never go a 2nd time to see the same cast (tho many times I'd like to be able to do that too). I just find it so much fun and educational to see different dancers in the same role.

OTOH, since "Time and Other Matters" in the last program had only 1 cast (highly unusual, and done because Dumas didn't have the time or the inclination to work with a 2nd cast -- according to the Q&A session), I saw the same cast in that twice. My tickets were such that my first performance was on the 2nd nite, and the 2nd performance was the last matinee, so there was about 2 weeks between performances. WOW, did I see a difference! Of course it was a new and difficult work with roles created specifically for those individual dancers (wasn't the role for Arianna perfect for her!), so that in itself is unusual, but I could plainly see how the dancers had "grown into" the roles. That was cool too. So I guess it can work both ways.

Also in my experience, ballet afficiandos (sp?) love to watch individual dancers and track their progress over the years. I rarely talk to another "ballet lover" without us talking individual dancers. I think there are a lot of ballet goers who feel that way. OTOH, I suspect most folks who can only go once, choose an evening based on their schedules rather than the cast that nite. Subscribers of course have no choice.

P.S. For this time around my subscription tickets demand that I see Pantastico/Stanton, but say what you will, my favorite dancer is Carrie Imler (altho I have lots of other "favorites" too ), so my 2nd performance will no doubt be Imler/Bold.

By all accounts PNB has loads of talent at the top, so it makes sense to have a variety of casts and to want to see more than one cast. At the moment in NYC we have the peculiar situation of Ashley Bouder, who blows you away with her first performances, then delivers second performances that are totally different and better! Hence, the need to see the same "first" cast twice. Are any of the PNB stars like this? ( Long ago, Makarova was known for always changing interpretations, and Farrell rewarded repeat performance watchers. But I've never seen anything as extreme as Bouder.) Great dancers seem to fall into two camps: those who polish and refine a role, and those who reinvent it each time. How would the various PNB stars place in this dichotomy?
Not being one who "travels well", PLEASE Mr. Boal, and PLEASE imbiciles who decide who gets to play in NYC, bring this wonderful company to NYC!

Where is Kylee Kitchens? Is she injured? I certainly hope not.

Kitchens was in the corps of La Valse in the "Points of View" program, and in Jonathan Porretta's Jubilant and Kiyon Gaines' {SCHWA} in the Choreographers' Showcase on 22 March. She's not listed for the first week of Sleeping Beauty, but the second week hasn't been announced yet.

Because I strategize to see as many casts as possible, and PNB only plays over two weekends, I don't have as much experience with this. I did notice that the first and last performances I saw Ariana Lallone do in Red Angels were very different: the second was much more dynamic than the first. I also thought the dynamic between James Moore and Maria Chapman in Sinatra Suite was different in tone both times I saw it, and that some of the partnering in general can be a little more smooth in subsequent performances.

One of the things I've noticed about PNB -- and Ballet Arizona for that matter -- is that because of the performance format of dancing one program at a time, the dancers are relatively focused at any given time on comparatively fewer roles than in a company like NYCB. Plus, there are a lot fewer pieces with corps. For example, in the first and last rep program, there was a large corps in only one ballet. In the second to last program, there was a small corps in Ancient Airs and Dances.

While the dancers may be learning and rehearsing roles for future programs, and over the course of the season working on fellow dancers' ballets in the choreography workshop, in performances, they get to focus on one program at a time. My experience has been, when the curtain goes up every month or every other month for two extended weekends, they are ready, and come out focused and flying. The dancers may be longing for the end of Nutcracker or for summer break, but I don't remember them ever looking like they did.

Hopefully this will happen and in a venue that's more audience-friendly than City Center, where the last NYC performances took place.

This is kind of off-topic on a PNB Sleeping Beauty site, but two great points that have been made raised questions for me.



I also would love to know who at PNB falls into the "reinvent a role" category at PNB. And who at other companies as well. With Farrell, for instance, I wonder if it was really reinventing. Maybe it was a process of revealling deeper and deeper levels, rather like peeling the onion skin. There was so much there to see, that you could not see it all at once. You were always surprised and captivatad by something that appeared, apprently new, at each performance. But it pobably had been there all along.

This appears to be the pattern at other regional companies. Miami, certainly. Do any other regionals do it differently? The ability to focus is certainly an advantage. I wonder, though, how the dancers feel about this as opposed to an NYCB situation where they are moving in and out of roles more frequently. Are there dancers who prefer to concentrate on a few roles at a time, as oposed to dancers who love to move constantly from one to another?

Yes Bart, you've found two OT (since they could apply to any dancers, not just the PNB stars) threads here which perhaps you or some clever moderator might be able to start up as individual topics:
A. Dancers who grow roles by 1. refining and polishing (I'd site McKerrow and Kirkland as examples), 2. reinventing (Bouder), and 3. onion-peeling (revealing new layers of depth --as you say, Farrell). Perhaps these last two are facets of some more encompassing way of describing what they do.
B. Two ways of handling mixed rep programs, that also may relate to how dancers perform (concentration of focus vs. dialectic of variety) : 1. replicated programming (variety via casting changes, typical of PNB, ABT and many more) vs. 2. heterogeneous programming, in which the ballets are presented in varying combinations (NYCB paradigm).

When working on the calendar, carbro and I went through dozens of company calendars. I can't think of a single company in the US [Edited to Add: besides NYCB] other than ABT in its fall season that does a rep season. SFB, and Ballet Arizona (for the Balanchine programs) have a tiny bit of hybrid, in which two fixed programs are given over the same period.

Most of the major companies in Europe are on a rep schedule, alternating with opera performances. When they perform triple bill programs, they tend to be fixed programs more than not. While rep still has its challenges for rehearsal and focus, the opera does give many of the dancers little performance breathers, although they might have rehearsals scheduled for that time.

I'm afraid such a question is well beyond my modest powers of distinction. I feel lucky to be able to "see" the differences btwn various dancers in the same role at all, much less be in a position to tell you why I respond differently.

Years ago I used to live in San Francisco (where I saw my first ballet on a whim while in college -- I was changed forever ). ABT, Joffery, and other companies used to come regularly, and I saw them all, sometimes every nite of the week. Then perhaps I could distinguish the "styles" of a company, or the quality of a company. But now I pretty much only see PNB, so I have little to compare to. Perhaps PNB is a ho-hum company to true experts, I have no idea......all I know is that I love them, and believe I've seen the company get better and better over the years. I suspect I am just spoiled by PNB and don't know any better.

Hello there. I am new to this site but not new to the ballet world. I have lived on the East Coast as well as the West coast and in Europe for a few years also. I must say that I absolutely LOVE this company...PNB ! They are all excellent dancers ! There is so much talent!! One most outstanding is Jonathan Porretta ! He just never ceases to amaze me! I think this company is one of the best if not the greatest ballet company worldwide.

Welcome to Ballet Talk, sky blue. I'm very happy to have another transplant to Seattle on the board to discuss PNB!

Please introduce yourself on the Welcome Forum when you have a chance by clicking "New Topic" from the top right of the forum, and we're looking forward hearing what you think of Sleeping Beauty.

From Moira Macdonald's essay on Louise Nadeau coaching Sleeping Beauty (rather than dancing Aurora again) A viewpoint on the shifting casting we were discussing above.

"It was a difficult choice to make," she says. "But I thought, you know, I've done it, I enjoyed it when I did it. I didn't really feel that I had to prove anything to anyone. And I thought, do I really want to take up the space, and not allow someone else the opportunity?"

(can see whole article through links for Tuesday 4/11)

and forgot to say that all of second week casting is up on the website now.

A couple of more corps women are cast as fairies: Zimmerman and Brunson. Apprentice Leanne Larsen is dancing Little Red Riding Hood in week 2.

Just to set expectations, Lilac Fairy is a very small dancing role -- a single solo -- and a lot of mime and casting spells with what looks like a purple feather duster. Especially since in this production (Hynd) Desire is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and Lilac Fairy has to lead him by the nose.

It's too late for me to do a full write-up tonight, but just a few highlights, not meant to be all-inclusive: Kaori Nakamura was a brilliant Aurora, Körbes was superb as the Fairy of Beauty and as Silver in the Gold and Silver pas de trois in the Wedding Act, and Maria Chapman had a great evening in three very different roles: Fairy of Purity in the Prologue, the Countess in Act II, and the White Cat in Act III.

Didn't she just -- she's been slowly and carefully developing for quite some time, and we are getting to see some very lovely work from her lately.

I agree about Chapman. Until Boal got here, she seemed to be perennially "stuck" in the corps. Peter brought not only himself, but his eye to Seattle.

But Francia Russell did cast Chapman in the Second Movement of Symphony in C the last time the ballet was performed. I'm glad Boal is casting her prominently, too.

Just a note that Chapman was promoted by Stowell and Russell, albeit at the end of their tenure. She had danced many prominent roles by that point, in both the Balanchine and Stowell repertoire.

Exactly my point.

During the last couple of years of their tenure, Russell and Stowell mentioned quite often in the Q&A's that the only reason that well-deserved promotions were not forthcoming was that there wasn't the money. (The ballet had taken huge hits during the season and a half in Mercer Arena.) I think it's a better indication to look at how they cast dancers during that time.

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WOW

Sandy, if you don't have anything nice to say...

Details, please

Sorry, no time.....I am busy re-arranging my life to go again tonite . Hope to go again next Saturday too to see yet another cast.

As a rule I am not a fan of story ballets. Forsythe is more my style. But last nite, for the first time I think, I put myself in the place of simply watching the quality of the dance: the actual dancers doing their moves with skill and emotion. I gave up my usual drug of allowing the power of the choreography, intensity of the relationships, the "power of the message", the transendance of the music, to transport me. I tryed to be more in the place of a "talent scout" and appreciate simply the execution, and how well the dancer creates the role. Well, I discovered how great Sleeping Beauty can be as a vehicle to observe lots of different dancers being showcased (even in short roles). Normally I would not go to see additional performances of Sleeping Beauty because it does not move me like say Artifact II, or even In the Night, do. But by going to 3 performances in the right combination I will get to see a bizillion dancers one after another. I am excited!

And, BTW, a thanks to all in this forum. It has been the discussions I've read here in the last couple of months that have shown me the possibility of this. Without the insights you all have given me, I likely would have responded to Sleeping Beauty last nite in my predictable way of enjoying it, but being a bit bored, while looking forward to the upcoming Jewels program.

Now to get a few chores done, make the call to the box office, and get my ass back down to McCall Hall at 7:30

I'm going to see all five Auroras, and so am still wallowing in Sleeping Beauty, but yes, Pantastico was terrific -- both in the technique and the characterization. She had potential the last time she did it (at the Arena), and has really fulfilled that promise. Definitely worth rearranging your schedule to see her in the role (next Saturday matinee)

On a related topic, I know that right now there's lots of comparison going on between the Russell/Stowell years and the beginning of Boal's tenure (I've certainly done my share, and will do more -- it's the nature of my job) but I don't want to cast it all black and white. You may disagree with the choices that R&S made (I certainly did with some), but except for new hires like Korbes and Pankevitch, the dancers we see are very much a result of their work.

This was sitting on my computer half-written for weeks. Recent discussions of the Royal Ballet's Sleeping Beauty stirred me from lethargy, especially since there's been no mention of Imler and Vinson. That and feeling I should get this up before the casting for Jewels is posted. So here goes:

The Production
The ballet opens with the courtiers, assembled for Aurora’s christening. There are a little over a dozen on an essentially empty stage. With the women in jade and deep blue silk dresses, with puffy sleeves, deep necklines, and skirts flowing from under the bustlines, the stage resembled a boudoir, a celebration of ladies-in-waiting and court intimates of a family christening.

This is a Sleeping Beauty full of mime and characterization. Catalabutte is not a buffoon or lackey, but rather a man used to managing. Uko Gorter looked a bit like a portrait of Henry VIII. There’s a terrific scene early where the baby Aurora is brought out in her cradle, and the women beg Catalabutte to see the baby. He thinks and after warning the ladies to keep their voices down, allows them to. This is the foreshadowing of no generosity/leniency going unpunished; as the ladies make a “noisy” fuss around the baby, he makes them disperse, taking charge again.

The King and Queen enter, with Otto Neubert looking like a portrait of a czar. The King clarifies with Catalabutte that he’s forgotten nothing, and once assured, the accompanied lifting entrances of the six fairies and Lilac Fairy begins; they are accompanied by pages who carry the representation of their presents on pillows, and Lilac Fairy’s retinue of attendants. After the six fairy variations, their pages place the pillows at the foot of Aurora’s cradle, completing their blessings. Lilac Fairy speaks to the royal couple first, and at the sign of trouble -- the mimed warning of each of three heralds in succession describing Carabosse, the realization between the King, Queen, and Catalabutte that Carabosse has been left off the party list -- she sends her page offstage, her blessing withheld.

Carabosse has a flying solo entrance; she has no minions. The scene is entirely mime, with the accusation of Carabosse to the Queen – who mimes “talk to the King” who mimes “take it up with Catalabutte” -- Catalabutte’s humiliation at Carabosse’s hands, the fairies begging for clemency, Carabosse’s mimickry of the fairies, the curse, the courts horrified reaction, the King and Queen’s pleas, and Lilac Fairy’s mitigation of the curse, clinched when her page presents the pillow at the foot of Aurora’s cradle. The scene ends with a tableau of fairies and courtiers, all gesturing upstage left to the baby Aurora.

This production is rich in mime throughout the Prologue and Acts I and II, night and day from the Mariinsky version I saw in Berkeley last fall. This is most vividly seen in the Prologue, from Catalabutte, the King, and the Queen in shorter sections which set up for the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse in the longer scenes. Act I opens with a mime scene in which Carabosse, in disguise as a hag, is discovered by Catalabutte and is threatened with hanging, first by him and later by the King, who has the hag dragged to downstage center, with sentries guarding her with giant lances. The Queen intercedes to save her. Then there is extended mime by Carabosse, no longer in disguise, gloating at the fallen Aurora, with a fight scene in which Carabosse stabs the Duke of Aquitaine to death, followed by the mitigation of the curse by Lilac Fairy, her spell on the Duke of Aquitaine’s sword, and the sleeping spell she places on the kingdom, with the help of four nymphs on flies.

In Act II there is mime between the Countess, who is out to land the Prince, the Prince, the Prince’s and the Prince’s tutor. After the Prince sends everyone off to the hunt, the Lilac Fairy appears, and through mime prompts the Prince to describe why he’s sad, and describes the antidote. After the Vision Scene, she leads him off to the palace in a boat, and after they disembark to the forest outside the palace, where he fights off two hags. The Prince is having no luck and repeatedly asks for directions (), which the Lilac Fairy gives him. Finally she leads him to the Duke of Aquitaine’s enchanted sword (next to the DoA’s skeleton), where he cuts down the bramble and finds the sleeping Aurora. Before he kisses her, Carabosse sneaks up behind him, and he stabs Carabosse to death with the sword. The mime in Act III is limited, as the act consists of the court dance, the presentation of the King and Queen, the procession of the divertissement groups, the divertissements, the Grand Pas de Deux, and the final Mazurka. In the Apotheosis, the King and Queen give their blessing to Aurora and the Prince, as the entire court forms a wedge in homage to an upstage center tableau of the Lilac Fairy, with a final pose towards the audience by Aurora and the Prince.

What is equally important is that the ballet is as rich in characterization as in mime, from the King and Queen to the Dukes to the fairies to the divertissement characters, to the courtiers (particularly in Act II), to Aurora and Desire to the traditional character parts, Catalabutte and the Tutor, to the two antagonists, Lilac Fairy and Carabosse. This was not a production in which any of the strictly classical dancers could simply do the steps without having engaging in the drama; doing so would have looked completely out of place.

The Auroras
I saw three casts, and the dancing and characterizations were very different from cast to cast. The three Auroras I saw were Kaori Nakamura, Carrie Imler, and Mara Vinson. (I had conflicts with both of Barker’s performances, and my plans to see the Pantastico’s second were scuttled by a last-minute family visit from the East Coast.)

Nakamura, who danced opening night, was brilliant, literally and figuratively. If she had tried to personify a 16-year-old, I don’t think it would have been convincing, temperamentally. Instead, she personified the qualities that Aurora would have. For example, in Act I being presented to society for the first time she portrayed shyness upon being told that she was going to be married off to one of the gussied up Dukes, wonder, curiosity, and, living up to her responsibility to show that the fruits the fairies had bestowed upon her had taken hold. Dancewise, she was like a well-cut precious stone: precise and sparkling. In the Vision Scene, she was an ideal, and in the final act, she matured into a young woman who could take her place at her husband’s side, the most Pamina-like of the three Auroras. (Which is a good thing, because Desire isn’t the brightest bulb…) Her solos weren’t quite introspective, but they seemed to tell an inner story, and had the arc and development of dramatic poetry.

Carrie Imler took a different approach, playing a 16-year-old girl realistically. She took choosing her future husband seriously: her Act I solo was a true getting-to-know-you exercise, and the four Dukes could not risk standing on the side; she engaged them fully. This reminded me of Christopher Gable’s description of a very young Lynn Seymour during the balances in the Rose Adagio: “[w]hat she did was hold on and look that guy right in the eye, as if to say, ‘You’re really rather lovely. I quite fancy—‘ And then she noticed the next chap…’Oh, you’re even better,’ and then more thrilled, to the next, ‘Gosh, you’re terrific…’” In Seymour’s case, this was to mask the fact that she didn’t have the strength to do the balances – “So we’ve lost the balances, but what we’ve got is a lady choosing between four fellow, which is what the choreography is about” – while in Imler’s case it was the opposite: she’s so technically strong that she could have relied upon the “circus element” in the solo and in the “Rose Adagio,” but, instead, she focused equally on the drama, and not out of necessity. She was a delicious vision, more flesh and blood, and she still retained a tad of girlishness in Act III.

Mara Vinson danced the role for the second time with the Company in the performance I saw, and imbued the role with a sense of newness. This is a very English production, and Vinson was the most English of all proportionally. While both she and Nakamura are short, Nakamura gives the impression of being long-legged, while Vinson has a physical geometry that in a role like Aurora gives a sense of balance and stability, with blossoming turnout, diamond-shaped retires, and soft, full rounded arms, a classical vision in Act II. Vinson was a bit more formal than Imler, if not reserved. Vinson’s Aurora grew throughout the performance; by Act III she was ready to learn to become a wife and future queen. Her Act III solo was especially radiant.

The Desires (Florimund, in the program)

Olivier Wevers played it straight. Which means he came across as a bit of a dope. (Desire must ask the Lilac Fairy at least ten times what to do, where to go, etc.) Batkhurel Bold was having none of this, playing a more imperious and distant Prince, with an occasional bout of enthusiam. Le Yin also refused to play, not quite as distant as Bold, but with a bit more arrogance, particularly in the Hunting Scene. All three danced the Act II and Act III solos beautifully, but Le Yin had a bit of Bolshoi-like spark in Act III: nothing out of character, but with a little extra “oomph,” with his completely pointed feet and high, high demi-point that never wavered in pirouettes.

The Lilac Fairies

On opening night, Carrie Imler danced Lilac Fairy. If she had been the second from the left instead of in the middle and all the fairies had been in grey, during the group scenes it was clear from her dancing who was in charge of this group. I’m not sure she was completely convinced of the character. She reminded me a bit of Mrs. Incredible, living a quiet life in the superhero protection program until called back to be Elastigirl. As much as she protested, not wanting badness to happen, but knowing that it was inevitable, she truly wanted to be in the middle of the action. Imler looked invigorated when called to duty, and the look she gave Carabosse, when Carabosse tries to interfere with Lilac’s mitigation of the curse, should have left Carabosse in a post-phaser-blast pile of mineral dust.

Stacy Lowenberg performed in the last performance I saw. While she was a first among equals in the dancing parts, she was a fabulous, vivid mime. All of her gestures and facial expressions were clear, and they played to the back of the house. She also had a remarkable quality of radiating an abstract Goodness, as if she had that Glenda the Good Witch traveling bubble, particularly in the scene where she introduces herself to Carabosse and mitigates the curse.

Carla Körbes was Lilac Fairy in the middle performance. Her dancing and mime were so very beautiful, but that doesn’t begin to account for her impact in this role. Her presence – it was too organic to be called an interpretation -- conveyed immortality and timelessness, and as she flowed in dance and mime, her Lilac Fairy led by example of how the world would behave if it were ideal. She had no doubt of her place in the world. In my mind, there can be no doubt that she is, indeed, a true Ballerina.

Carabosse

I saw Carabosse played twice by Timothy Lynch and once by Olivier Wevers, and they were two very different witches. In Lynch, I saw the young fairy who was pushed out of the group for not being pretty enough or polished enough and for making unintentional verbal faux pas. A fairy-turned-witch through embitterment and watching the pretty people get ahead. But having little personal power of her own; hers was the result of a bitter brew.

Wevers’ Carabosse had extraordinary presence and sense of power. I got the impression that she wanted respect due to her, but I can’t imagine her ever wanting to be anything but the head fairy. (And then making a clean sweep all of those dainty girls, and replacing them with Fairy of Moxie, Fairy of Forthrightness, Fairy of Athleticism, Fairy of Cleverness, Fairy of Fortitude, Fairy of Industry…) Everything else would be too one-dimensional. Sadly, she opted for the Dark Side. Wevers left out not a single detail -- expertly mimicking each fairy as she plead for Aurora and Catalabutte -- up through the curtain call, as she imperiously offered her hand to the conductor during the company bows.

Fairies

Highlights: the beautiful mime in Carla Körbes’ Fairy of Beauty. The soft-as-a-cloud skimming steps on a backwards diagonal of Maria Chapman’s Fairy of Purity. The upward tilt of the chin and head held high on the neck of Brittany Reid’s Fairy of Temperament, bestowing upon Aurora a bit of spine. Jodie Thomas and Rachel Foster’s sparkly Fairy of Joy. A trifecta of Fairies of Wit -- Mara Vinson, an image of Diana in her final upward finger points, Rebecca Johnston and her beautiful feet, and Kari Brunson with her brightness. Kara Zimmerman as a warm, patient, and engaged presence as Fairy of Generosity. Zimmerman’s interaction with the parents and Aurora in this solo made me wonder if Marcia Dale Weary gives a multi-year course in stage interaction and dramatic presence, and doesn’t let anyone graduate if they don’t pass it.

Wedding Divertissement

The opening number is the Gold (2 men) and Silver (1 woman) pas de trois. It’s a lovely, classical dance, with solos and pas de deux for the two men, performed superbly by Körbes with Lucien Postlewaite and Anton Pankevitch and Vinson with Jonathan Porretta and Benjamin Griffiths in the performances I saw. I prefer it to the Bluebird pas de deux. I suspect I’m in the minority on this, but luckily the majority was there to appreciate the very fine performances of Jodie Thomas and Jonathan Porretta. We were very lucky with all of our cats, particularly Maria Chapman’s sensuous, perfumed Persian paired with Jordan Pacitti’s playful Puss, and Mara Zimmerman’s girly-girl cat pursued by Nicholas Ade’s randy Puss. (He’s so gentlemanly in Q&A’s…) I saw Eames’ Red Riding Hood and Karel Cruz’ fox in all three performances, and she was charming, but I’ve come to realize that Peter Martins really had it right in his Sleeping Beauty: I think it was a brilliant stroke of stagecraft in the best sense to have a child Red Riding Hood and to have an ensemble of children swing the forest trees. It gives a visual and theatrical break in the middle of the divertissements.

Must Be Noted

The company was so invested in the overall drama and characterization, that it’s hard to know where to begin.

*Uko Gorter’s multi-dimensional Catalabutte.

*Fleming Halby’s last performances at PNB, as the loyal Tutor, dancing blindfolded through a gauntlet of mocking ladies with riding crops.

*The court ladies in the Hunting Party scene, especially the two who watch the Prince’s final rejection of the Countess with glee, and mock her behind her back all the way backstage.

*Barry Kerollis, who has the perfect face and profile to pull of those white wigs. All he needed was a mole.

*The beautiful tendu back of one of the heralds. The proud carriage of one of the bassinet bearers. Hopefully, the future Princes.

*Mime, mime, and more beautiful mime.

*Lucien Postlewaite’s Duke of Bordeaux. He was going to get that princess by being the most attentive, gracious, and appreciative of them all. Every minute that character was onstage. It's too bad that pesky Carabosse went and ruined everything.

*Maria Chapman. In one night, she danced a lovely Fairy of Purity, a sultry White Cat, and an unbelievably realistic and detailed Countess. She is a remarkable actress who can change her face subtly, yet make it register to the entire house, so that, for example, only a flash of hurt and humiliation at the Prince’s rejection was visible, before her pride and upbringing literally saved face. Any one of these performances would have been a triumph in itself. All three in one evening was a knockout.