Dance in Review

Displaying items by tag: Joffrey Ballet

I’ve loved the Joffrey Ballet for almost its entire lifetime (it was begotten just two years after I was). My first memories of seeing the Joffrey Ballet in performance date back to … the Eighties? Seventies? Any road, I’m not a joanie-come-lately fan of the Joffrey Ballet.

The Joffrey never disappoints. I’ve reviewed Joffrey Ballet several times here at Buzz Center Stage and my reviews reflect this: Joffrey Ballet never disappoints. But saying the Joffrey Ballet never disappoints is inadequate to the task of launching a review of STUDIES IN BLUE. I was transported; I was captivated; I was ensorcelled and entranced. In short, STUDIES IN BLUE is the finest program I’ve ever seen Joffrey Ballet perform. 

But I can’t just say that and go on about my day, yeah?  Right then: STUDIES IN BLUE, how do I love thee?

Hungry Ghosts - The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble

The program is three acts, Yonder Blue, Hungry Ghosts, and Hummingbird. I’ve seldom seen three ballets more dissimilar, yet each in its own unique way uplifted and harmonized with the other two to compose a perfectly unified program. Wowie.  

I’m going to snatch this opportunity to thank Artistic Director Ashley Wheater, CEO Greg Cameron, and anyone else who played a part in re-homing Joffrey Ballet at the Civic Opera House. I’ve been seeing and loving shows at the Auditorium Theatre since the early 1970’s, and it’s still a magnificent venue. I, however, have gone a bit to seed over the years, and find the Aud just a leeetle bit challenging to navigate. COH is far more user-friendly now I’m no longer quite so spry. Thank you!  

Yonder Blue was choreographed by Andrew McNicol, premiering in 2019. Yonder Blue’s music was composed by Peter Gregson, performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, directed and conducted by Scott Speck. It was delightful, joyful and vivacious but without straying into cloying or syrupy. McNichol reminds us that ‘yonder’ is a word that wobbles, tangible yet hard to grasp.  Yonder implies distance – from here to there – yet it remains imaginary, as once you reach ‘there’ it becomes ‘here’, and ‘yonder’ again withdraws. Jack Mehler (Scenic and Lighting Designer), captures this from the opening curtain – the dancers are silhouetted against a misty sky of blues which is slowly covered by a solid backdrop, creating the illusion of the horizon receding into the distance 'over yonder' as we are drawn deeper into the piece. 

We feel that shifting sense of space and place through both McNicol's choreography and the exquisite execution of the dancers. At one moment their movements are creaky, fractured, straining, and the next they float weightlessly through impossible lifts. If you know me, you’ll know I’m very partial to boy-on-boy dance; McNicol did one better for me with a perfectly splendid pas de trois featuring Jonathan Dole, Alberto Velazquez and José Pablo Castro Cuevas.  

‘Blue’ is another mercurial word, referring now to nature, now to human qualities and even emotions, from ‘feeling blue’ to bawdy ‘blue humor’. Yonder Blue encapsulates these many and disparate associations. The piece ebbs and flows, including an extended full-ensemble unison section which builds from a simple start of stationary forms to a full-stage cascade of whirling exuberance. 

An aside here: reading the program, I was marveling at the company’s diversity:  from Cincinnati to Jacksonville, Indiana to Utah, from Cuba, Japan, China, Estonia, Brazil, Russia, Australia. This diversity was visually evident during Yonder Blue, exposing all that winter-white skin!   

I was excitedly anticipating Hungry Ghosts, choreographed by Stina Quagebeur, as this is the first performance art I’ve attended that is inspired by ‘one of the most seismic human tragedies of modern times’: America’s opioid epidemic. See, opioid addiction is my thing – for 35 years I’ve been an addiction psychiatrist working on the streets with needle exchange programs and other outreach to the human beings ravaged by this unspeakable disease. Unspeakable indeed – there is no advocacy for addicts, and a death toll exceeding 100,000 annually elicits much editorial handwringing but virtually no direct action: jail is still, by several orders of magnitude, the standard (affordable/available/accessible) treatment for addiction.

Sorry, I just couldn’t hold that in. I’ll step down from my soapbox and return to Quagebeur’s far more eloquent litany. Her fittingly titled Hungry Ghosts has it all:  hope and longing, failure and despair, ambivalence and impotent rage and resignation. The disease is embodied by Anais Bueno and Hyuma Kiyosawa in a running pas de deux while the company animates the course of the disease: the swoop to dizzying heights and the inevitable plummet into the Slough of Despond. Jack Mehler’s brilliant Scenic and Lighting Design made ingenious use of vertical scrim panels to portray the addict’s isolation, the urgent necessity but lack of community; hunger and destitution and craving and loathing … all so poignantly expressed by Quagebeur’s choreography and the dancers’ mastery. 

Jeremy Birchall’s music was absolute perfection: alternately discordant and mellifluous; simultaneously strident and harmonic. I trust I’m not trespassing when I say that clearly neither Quagebeur nor Birchall learned about addiction by reading about it in a book – their intimate sophistication can only be gained the hard way. Thus, Quagebeur doesn’t succumb to the banal platitude of wrapping it all up with a pretty bow; rather, the ending reflects the ambivalence and uncertainty of the disease itself; death is the sole unequivocal outcome.  I was leaking tears by the end and was so glad for the standing ovation Quagebeur received for this world premiere performance – may her work advance to stages worldwide!

I was grateful for the intermission as I definitely needed time to recover after Hungry Ghosts, and my ballet buddy and I agreed to be underwhelmed by the final ballet, Hummingbird. I guess Hungry Ghosts rattled us enough to forget the cardinal rule: the Joffrey Ballet never disappoints.

Hummingbird - The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble

Liam Scarlett choreographed Hummingbird, and Lauren Strongin staged it a bit differently to the first two offerings. While Jack Mehler was Scenic and Lighting Designer for both Yonder Blue and Hungry Ghosts, David Finn’s lighting and John MacFarlane’s Scenic and Costume Design imparted a very different tableau for Hummingbird. Check out the photo – your eyes are not deceiving you; the stage truly is tilted up sharply at the rear, creating unique entrances and exits against the abstract backdrop.

Philip Glass’ music animates nine couples, in pas de deux and in company, into choreographed movement that comes from deep within: “Like an earthquake epicenter it ripples out… It has a human quality because it’s using everything you have.” Scarlett plays with our expectations – like an actor breaking the fourth wall with an aside to camera, he 'breaks' the dancers into unexpected movement. The ensemble entering with gracefully pointed limbs, only to crouch into a quick, flat-footed run-in-place garnered quite a few chuckles. Ending a fraught and emotional pas de deux with the dancers bent over and gasping for breath rather than perfectly poised added an emotional punch of realism.

I mentioned at the outset how these three pieces harmonized with each other - the treatment of the pas de deux by each piece offers a prime example. In Yonder Blue it was thematic, in Hungry Ghosts, narrative. In Hummingbird, the pas de duex sits somewhere in between - evocative, intertwining, and emotional as they thread their way in and out and around and through the ripples of movement around them.

Joffrey Ballet will perform STUDIES IN BLUE until February 25 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings, and matinee shows on Saturday and Sunday, so you have no excuse to miss it! 

JOFFREY BALLET STUDIES IN BLUE at the Civic Opera House through February 25

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Review by Sarz Maxwell with thanks for assistance from Eva Hare

Published in Dance in Review

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, presents four world premieres for the 14th annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition. Following the Joffrey's national call for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) artists to submit applications for the competition, this year's winners include— Jainil Mehta, Martha Nichols, Manoela Gonçalves, Houston Thomas, and Chicago-based winner Xavier Núñez (Recipient of the Zach Lazar Winning Works Fellowship)Each will choreograph an original work for the Joffrey Academy Trainees and Studio Company, featuring a commissioned score by a chosen composer collaborator. With three additional performances added this year due to popular demand, Winning Works will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Edlis Neeson Theater (220 E. Chicago Avenue) on March 8-10 and March 15-17, 2024. Tickets for Winning Works are $30 and are currently on sale at joffrey.org/winningworks.

 "Winning Works, now in its 14th year, is one of the most impactful components of the Joffrey," says The Joffrey Ballet President and CEO Greg Cameron. "Weaving together each branch of the organization, Winning Works manifests Joffrey's commitment to ALAANA choreographers and uplifts the next generation of artists. We are especially grateful to Zach Lazar, for his stellar leadership as previous Chair of the Board and are honored to name Xavier Núñez as the Zach Lazar fellow. We also look forward to extending our stay at the MCA for an additional weekend due to the competition's growing popularity among Chicago audiences."

"Winning Works propels emerging artists forward, and, in turn, shapes the future of dance," says The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. "One of this year's winners, Houston, personifies the pipeline we have developed for artists, having started with outreach classes in our Community Engagement program, moving through our Joffrey Academy, and now presenting a world premiere for Winning Works. It is a delight to welcome Houston back to the Joffrey, in addition to working in this new capacity with Xavier, Joffrey Company Artist, while introducing Jainil, Martha, and Manoela to Chicago audiences."

"This year's program of choreographers brings an abundance of experience to the Academy students, who gain the opportunity of a lifetime to collaborate on five world premieres," adds Abbott Academy Director Suzanne Lopez. "We are incredibly fortunate to host this year's selected artists, as they collectively hold a broad spectrum of professional and academic backgrounds, individually bringing their distinct styles and artistry into the studio. Houston, Jainil, Martha, Manoela, and Xavier will unveil unique pieces at the Museum of Contemporary Art, each conveying complex ideas that speak to the concerns of our time."

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Manoela Gonçalves will present Ocean, a work that delves into the complexities of grief, addressing the challenges of saying goodbye to a loved one, a career, a relationship, and even oneself. The piece takes inspiration from personal experiences, Alice Phoebe Lou's lyrics, and the wisdom of Buddhist teachings on the cyclical nature of life and the metaphor of the ocean, where waves signify both the ending of life and a return to the vast, collective essence. The healing process is experienced by diving into your emotions in a transformative and, sometimes surprisingly, beautiful journey.

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Gonçalves is a multi-disciplinary artist passionate about collaboration, connecting people, and weaving their unique stories into her work. After graduating from Maria Olenewa School from Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, a scholarship was her gateway to London. During her time with the Zurich Ballett as a dancer, she created her first piece with Esther Pérez, Frida, for Young Choreographers, performed at the Zurich Opera House, where she received the Tanzpreis der Freunde des Balletts Zürich (Friends of the Ballet Zurich Award) that same year.

Last year, Gonçalves created Benteveo for the soloist Alessandro Cavallo, which received international recognition after being performed in Italy. Her work bridges the worlds of dance, film, and music through choreographing music videos for international artists, including Nightbell and Maria for Kerala Dust, in collaboration with artists from the Nederlands Dans Theater, Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal, Bayerisches Staatsballet, Ballett Zürich and many more. As a director, Gonçalves's film Lisa was featured at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival and the LA Dance Film Festival in 2021. Gonçalves' dance journey has taken her through European ballet companies, including the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich, Leipziger Ballett, and Béjart Ballet in Lausanne, where she currently resides in Switzerland.

Jainil Mehta's new work explores the endless demands to consume, produce, and acquire in everyday modern life. During a recent visit with his family in India, Mehta observed the effects of striving for future material wealth on his loved ones' quality of life in the present, questioning the external factors that put pressure on their traditional way of life. With immense power and a feeling of momentum that cannot be stopped, Mehta's work contemplates whether reaching today's markers of success will ever be "enough."

Originally from Mumbai, India, Mehta is a former company dancer with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. He trained at Shiamak Davar International in Mumbai, India, for thirteen years and graduated Summa Cum Laude with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance with a Discovery Scholars Distinction. He has learned and performed works by esteemed choreographers like William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Jodie Gates, Barak Marshall, Alejandro Cerrudo, Dwight Rhoden, and Matthew Neenan. He has been featured in national press, including BBC News, Good Morning America, India Times, Brut India, Elle India, Hindustan Times, Official Humans of Bombay, and Quint, on his confidence and courage to break gender stereotypes within the Indian community. Mehta has choreographed music videos for artists such as Big Wild's "6's to 9's" and Falguni Pathak's "Jode Rahejo Raaj," in addition to teaching dance classes online and in person across India, Pakistan, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and the United States. He was recently selected as a choreographer at the Playdate Residency, funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, and has choreographed and designed four dance productions, Ctrl Alt Delete (2023), DECODED (2018), Alankar (2017), and Chimera (2015).

Martha Nichols presents Carried by Thought, an abstract expression of our thoughts in a thinking process and how they guide us through our experiences. The work explores how thought triggers the partnership of memory and emotion, which then leads to processing, rationalizing and ends with the acceptance of both what is understood and unknown.

Nichols is the recipient of the 2021 Princess Grace, Brian, and Amy France Choreography Honor and is an award-winning choreographer, notable dancer, master teacher, and dynamic speaker. A multifaceted artist who believes dance is an experience, Nichols' credits include Spirited (Apple TV+), In The Heights the movie, The Greatest ShowmanLa La Land, The Louis Armstrong House Museum, The Metropolitan Opera, Khalid, Madonna, Rihanna, Moses Sumney, GAP, XBOX, Fire Island Dance Festival, Cirque Du Soleil, MTV's VMAs, The Oscars, The Grammys, Dancing with the Stars, MJ The Musical on Broadway, and more.

In addition to her work in the commercial industry, Nichols has been commissioned by Point Park University, Boston Conservatory, and Pace University, as well as directing and choreographing her first full-length evening work, The Wider Sun, with her project-based company, Martha Nichols Dance. She is the 2016 Capezio A.C.E. Award winner for choreographic excellence, one of Dance magazine's Top 25 to Watch, and can be found in numerous dance publications. Recently, Nichols wrapped as Associate Choreographer on Disney's newest live-action film, Snow White, to be released in 2024.

 

Xavier Núñez (Recipient of the Zach Lazar Winning Works Fellowship) takes inspiration from a large-scale digital artwork installed on State Street during the pandemic, Chamilia. The work follows the life cycle of a flower and how it grows, blooms, wilts, and leaves nutrients for the next generation. For Winning Works, Núñez translates Chamilia into a live piece made in close collaboration with the dancers of the Joffrey Conservatory, exploring the links between community, beauty, and sustainability.

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Núñez embarked on his dance journey at age ten at The Hartt Community Dance Division in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the first dancer in his family. He continued training at the International Ballet Academy in Cary, NC, under Miguel Campaneria in 2010. In 2012, he earned the silver medal at the World Ballet Competition, propelling him to join the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company under the guidance of Kevin McKenzie and Franco De Vita. He performed in international galas in Italy and France, performing George Balanchine's Tarantella and Alexei Ratmansky's Le Carnaval Des Animaux. Xavier's path led him to The Tulsa Ballet in 2013, where he performed in productions including The Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Cinderella. In 2017, Núñez took part in the Concours de Opera National de Paris, earning him 6th place and a contract for the 2017-2018 season with the Paris Opera Ballet.

In 2018, Núñez proudly became a member of the Joffrey Ballet, a momentous step in his career. Since then, he has been privileged to grace the stage in lead roles, performing in acclaimed productions such as Yuri Possokhov's Anna Karenina, John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid, and more. Beyond his onstage achievements, Núñez's entrepreneurial drive led him to co-found Action Lines, a video production company, with peers Dylan Gutierrez and Eric Grant.

Houston Thomas presents The Return Studies II, the next installment of a work he created for the New York Choreographic Institute in 2021 titled The Return Studies. The thematic core of the piece revolved around notions of homecoming and returning, resonating with the dancers who were re-entering studios following an 18-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For Thomas, the first installment symbolized a personal return to his artistic roots at New York City's Lincoln Center, marking his reconnection after nine years of working in Europe. In The Return Studies II, Thomas delves into his homecoming journey to Chicago, revisiting the pivotal starting point of his dance journey at the Joffrey Ballet.

Born and raised in Chicago, Thomas began his dance training with the Joffrey Ballet's Outreach Program under Pierre Locket's direction. He later attended the Joffrey Ballet's Academy of Dance while also studying at the Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) under the direction of Lisa Johnson-Willingham. In 2011, Thomas enrolled full-time at the School of American Ballet. After completing his training at SAB in 2013, Houston joined the Dresden Semperoper Ballett, rising to the ranking of second soloist. After ten years with the company, Thomas decided to focus on choreography entirely, and in 2018, Thomas created his first work, Moonlit Variants, for the Semperoper Ballett's Young Choreographers evening.

In his first work for the New York Choreographic Institute in 2020, Thomas collaborated with NYCB Dancers in the film An Afternoon of Angelic Voices. Thomas created his second work with NYCI, The Return Studies, for its 2021 Fall Session, featuring NYCB dancers and SAB students. Thomas has since created works for Cincinnati Ballet, The Juilliard School, the School of American Ballet, ABT Studio Co., Hamptons Dance Project, Marcelo Gomes, and Ballet San Antonio. In July of 2022, Thomas premiered Follow the White Rabbit at the Young Emergent Choreographers Contest in Biarritz, France, winning a commission to create his work, Skywatcher, for the Opera National de Bordeaux.

Houston Thomas is generously sponsored by Patti S. Eylar.

Former winners of the Winning Works competition include Jeffrey Cirio (2016), current Lead Principal Dancer with Boston Ballet, Chanel DaSilva (2020), who choreographed a critically acclaimed world premiere for Joffrey's 2022-23 season opener Beyond Borders, Amy Hall Garner (2011), the choreographer of the free touring work for families Rita Finds Home co-produced by Joffrey and the Miami City Ballet, Stephanie Martinez (2015), a featured choreographer on the Joffrey's winter program The Times Are Racing, and Claudia Schreier (2018), Ballet Master to Juilliard President Damian Woetzel.   


The Joffrey Ballet gratefully acknowledges the generous support of 2024 Winning Works Sponsors Wilson Garling Foundation, William Blair with Joffrey Board Director Rita Spitz, Bill and Orli Staley Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ticket Information  

Tickets for Winning Works at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Edlis Neeson Theater are $30 and can be purchased at joffrey.org/winningworks. Performances take place on Friday, March 8 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM and Sunday, March 10, at 2:00 PM; and Friday, March 15 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 16 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sunday, March 17 at 2:00 PM.

About The Joffrey Academy of Dance  

Founded in 2010, the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, provides students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds with a world-class education built on a foundation of classical ballet.  

Based in the heart of Chicago's theater district, the 20,000-square-foot Exelon Education Center at Joffrey Tower, home to the Academy, boasts four state-of-the-art studios and facilities. In 2021, The Joffrey Ballet acquired two more state-of-the-art studios in the South Loop of Chicago.   

The Joffrey Academy received the Boeing Game Changer Award in recognition of its efforts to make dance accessible to everyone, and continuously works in collaboration with Joffrey's Community Engagement department to ensure aspiring dancers from all over the Chicago area have access to a first-class dance education.

The Joffrey Academy, located in Chicago, Illinois, is the only school that follows the organizational mission, training syllabi, and artistic vision of The Joffrey Ballet. No other program, including those holding the Joffrey name, is sanctioned by The Joffrey Ballet.  

For more information on the Joffrey Academy of Dance, the Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, and its programs, please visit joffrey.org/academy. Connect with the Joffrey on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and LinkedIn.  

Published in Upcoming Dance

What would the holidays be without “The Nutcracker”? No matter where you are in the world, chances are you don’t have to go far to catch a production of the yearly tradition. Joffrey Ballet pays homage to Chicago with their unique version staged by Christopher Wheeldon. This striking version remains just as thrilling year after year and works especially well on the stage at the Lyric Opera house accompanied by the Lyric Opera orchestra.

Instead of the opulence typically associated with the Tchaikovsky ballet, Wheeldon’s version moves the story to bustling 1892 Chicago, just before the 1893 World’s Fair. Visions of the impending World’s Fair dance in the children’s heads as their parents celebrate an evening off work. Coincidentally 1892 is also when the ballet first premiered in St. Petersburg.

Wheeldon’s version makes “The Nutcracker” an American fairy tale in the same vein as “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s an interesting choice to contextualize this normally European-depicted story in an emerging international city. Joffrey’s version is somewhat darker than standard productions but that’s what gives it an edge.

“The Nutcracker” can be a little dull for adults because after all, it is a ballet about dancing food. Upon a closer glance though there’s more than meets the surface. While the spectacle is certainly worth the ticket price alone, what this version does is create a more discernable purpose for Marie’s nocturnal space travel.

Marie, danced beautifully by Anabelle de la Nuez, is a young girl on her last Christmas Eve as a child. After watching her parents and other adults dance and share grown-up romance, she dreams her beloved nutcracker comes to life and whisks her away for an enchanting evening of dance and merriment. “The Nutcracker” can be an interpreted as a tale of young girl’s awakening.

However, you interpret this timeless ballet, Joffrey’s production is one of those staple Chicago holiday shows that seem to occupy our major theaters each December. It’s refreshing to see that our hometown production is unlike anything audiences will see throughout the world.

'The Nutcracker' The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble

As a ballet, the focal point of the performance is the dance and Joffrey’s talented company of dancers from all over the world do an incredible job bringing this story to life. The choreography is transfixing for both children and adults. In fact, adults might even find some of choreography a bit saucy.

Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is a treat for audiences of all ages, and that starts in the pit. By drawing upon Chicago’s rich cultural heritage, this version can find places for instruments not typically heard on recordings of the Tchaikovsky masterpiece. Perhaps Chicago is the only production of “The Nutcracker” in which you’ll hear an accordion.

Americanizing things isn’t always a bad thing and Christopher Wheeldon’s “The Nutcracker” is proof of that. The adaptation is so seamless you’ll wonder why it hasn’t always been presented like this. Because it’s never been staged like this anywhere else, it makes Joffrey Ballet’s production all that much more exciting to look forward to each year.

Through December 27 at Lyric Opera House. 20 North Wacker Drive. 312-386-8905.

Published in Dance in Review

In the two hundred (and five) years since Mary Shelley jolted to life her eponymous mad scientist and his monster and set them loose, Frankenstein has invaded just about every cross-section of culture. Motion pictures, of course. And literature. Sitcoms and cereal. And, based on the late Liam Scarlett’s production of the romantic novelist’s tale, now "Frankenstein" has found the stage of the Joffrey Ballet for a beautiful reimagining of the heartbroken doctor and the heartbroken creature he creates, one that embraces Shelley’s gothic 19th century original.

Like recent literary reimaginings by the Joffrey (at its old home at the Auditorium Theater), Anna Karenina and Jane Eyre, the set and stage are beautifully done—scenic and costume design by John McFarlane for the Scarlett production. The Joffrey’s staging—by Kristen McGarrity, Laura Morera, and Lauren Strongin, and Joe Walsh—nicely incorporates the ballet’s “new” and cozier home at the Lyric Opera; while the Auditorium’s scale and gravitas might have added their own touches to such a production, the Lyric and the Joffrey are a great match. Gothic scientific projections—programmed by Troy Fujimura—set the feel (which I guess one could call “steampunk,” but doing so might trivialize the vibe. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom and bloody surgical theaters here, as we also spend much time in happier, more comfortable days with the Frankenstein family at their estate.

Jose Pablo Castro Cuevas, in the lead role of Victor Frankenstein, nicely straddles these two worlds, as his character grows up in one and longs to go to the next—in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Frankenstein, played by Miguel Angel Blanco—Cuevas’ Victor falls in love with the adopted orphan Elizabeth, played by Amanda Assucena, a favorite in past Nutcracker productions, as well as the title character in Jane Eyre. Cuevas and Assucena make a fine couple, as do Blanco and Anais Bueno, in the role of Alphonse Frankenstein’s wife and Victor’s mother, whose sudden demise gives the story its direction, sending Victor off to medical school determined to reverse death.

But before Victor goes to school and begins to amass the knowledge with which he’ll wreak his timeless monster on our world, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Christine Rocas as the Frankenstein family’s governess and Jeraldine Mendoza (another Joffrey favorite from Nutcrackers past) as her daughter, Justine. Both bring life to their roles, and I couldn’t take my eyes off either.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the production’s musical score, by Lowell Liebermann for the original, played by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and conducted by Scott Speck. The music brightens the story when needed, but even more hints at the doom to come, and the gloom always lurking.

And now, on to the anatomy theater at Ingolstadt University, where the doctor creates his monster and where the story creates its mythology, now two centuries old. Devastated by his mother’s death in childbirth, Victor leaves these loved ones (and his newborn baby brother) behind to study medicine. Here, in the same manner he towers over 1893 Chicago each Christmastime for the Joffrey’s Nutcracker as that production’s empresario, Dylan Gutierrez looms over his youthful pupils in the round, the stern and statuesque Professor Waldman.

It is here in the anatomy theatre, fueled by heartbreak, exuberant with youth, and armed with the burgeoning science of the looming industrial revolution, where Victor Frankenstein fashions his monster. The set and pyrotechnics (by Gateway Pyrotechnic Productions) rival the scale in any Hollywood Frankenstein of yore. And the monster, slippery and scarred, is given a grace and humanity many of those silver screen adaptations neglect. Jonathan Dole wonderfully plays the role of the Creature—confused and contorted, a counterfeit creation in a world it can never understand or be understood by. He is there, and then he is gone, and upon his return, we are ready to be horrified, brokenhearted, and amazed by the Joffrey Ballet’s 21st century reimagining of a centuries-old tale of horror, heartbreak, and amazement. See it at the Lyric Opera, now through October 22.

Published in Dance in Review

The Little Mermaid at Lyric Opera House is an incredibly beautiful and massive production that holds the audience spellbound from the moment it begins until the final magnificent scene of love transcendent. 

This ballet created by John Neumeier for the Royal Danish Ballet in 2005 was way ahead of its time in that it tackles a lot of somber adult themes including surviving assault, struggles with mental health and physical disability when the little Mermaid is confined to a wheelchair and sees all the healthy young people around her dancing through their lives, falling in love and marrying while she is pushed and carried through human life by the adoring Poet who feels everything she feels. This ballet is so wonderfully choreographed and danced, the music and lighting and set design so sumptuous, that the audience is allowed to fill in their own blanks of this timeless tale of unrequited love through the wordless yet completely emotive dancers of the Joffrey Ballet Company, the highest caliber of dancers in the world today.  

The brilliant Neumeier also created fantastic sets that include giant arcs of white light that represent the moving seas, a starry night that descends into their bedroom and carries the lovers into heavenly bliss. Also impactful is a white box shaped room with a ceiling that frighteningly closes in on the Little Mermaid, as she the incredibly expressive Victoria Jaiani literally "climbs the walls" while struggling to maintain her sanity working out her deep grief and anxiety over human love and life in her final transformation to immortality.

According to the program notes, this production has reinterpreted Hans Christian Andersen's dark yet uplifting fairy tale to include the unrequited love of The Poet, played with wonderful intensity and longing by Stefan Goncalvez, for the Prince (Dylan Gutierrez) a gallant, athletic alpha male. However, the Prince, it appears, is actually more suited for the cheerful blonde debutante Princess (Anais Bueno) that he eventually marries than either the Poet or The Little Mermaid who, in this interpretation, both long to win his heart and marry him, but this amazing interpretation represents archetypes of human personalities not genders. 

Again, it is important to mention this is NOT the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, and there is a scene described as violent in her transformation that has sexual assault undertones as she is stripped naked by the Sea Witch and left on the beach alone. In the 1838 original and the Disney film, the moral message or warning to girls and women was more about The Mermaid giving up her VOICE, when she agrees to be made mute by the Sea Witch who cuts off her tongue as payment for the spell to pursue her beloved Prince. Yet, I loved that Neumeier focuses on the disability that crushes her spirit by sacrificing her beautiful, graceful and strong swimmer's tail because even though she is still able to dance better for the Prince than any human, the Sea Witch has ensured that every step she takes for her Prince will hurt her terribly, "filling her shoes with blood". 

From Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid;

"Every footstep felt as if she were walking on the blades and points of sharp knives, just as the witch had foretold, but she gladly endured it. She moved as lightly as a bubble as she walked beside the Prince. He and all who saw her marveled at the grace of her gliding walk. Graceful slaves now began to dance to the most wonderful music. Then the little mermaid lifted her shapely white arms, rose up on the tips of her toes, and skimmed over the floor. No one had ever danced so well. Each movement set off her beauty to better and better advantage, and her eyes spoke more directly to the heart than any of the singing slaves could do." 

Although her name and the other leads, like The Poet and Prince and Princess are only listed in alphabetical order in the program as a member of the company, this ballet is not a true ensemble piece. 

I want to acknowledge the superb dancer, the superstar who brought to life and danced the lead character of the Mermaid, Victoria Jaiani, throughout this two-and-a-half hour long, highly emotionally and physically demanding role. Jaiani is absolutely stunning and heartbreakingly expressive in this sublime role with every single move of her graceful expressive hands, legs and face. 

"The most eager of them all was the youngest, She was an unusual child, quiet and wistful, and when her sisters decorated their gardens with all kinds of odd things they had found in sunken ships, she would allow nothing in hers except flowers as red as the sun, and a pretty marble statue. This figure of a handsome boy, carved in pure white marble, had sunk down to the bottom of the sea from some ship that was wrecked. Beside the statue she planted a rose-colored weeping willow tree, which thrived so well that its graceful branches shaded the statue and hung down to the blue sand, where their shadows took on a violet tint, and swayed as the branches swayed. It looked as if the roots and the tips of the branches were kissing each other in play."

Stefan Goncalvez as The Poet in 'The Little Mermaid'

The choreography was spectacular and modern, like watching a silent movie wherein the actors express everything they are feeling through their faces and bodies without words. 

The costume design also by Neumeier was lush and rich in every scene, especially in its ingenious depiction of the underwater world in which Jaiani appears to swim, float and twist in the water like a real fish, suspended in the air by three black-clothed dancers who disappear in the wake of her beauty like puppeteers. 

A final note from Hans Christian Andersen on the relationship between The Poet who watches The Little Mermaid and literally carries and comforts her emotionally throughout her ordeal on earth is that everyone can identify with the Poets' quest to find his own true self and love through the Little Mermaid, who represents his Everlasting  Soul, which is not truly in his control nor is the Little Mermaid his "Creation". 

“Who are you, toward whom I rise?" she asked, and her voice sounded like those above her, so spiritual that no music on earth could match it.

"We are the daughters of the air," they answered. "A mermaid has no immortal soul and can never get one unless she wins the love of a human being. Her eternal life must depend upon a power outside herself. The daughters of the air do not have an immortal soul either, but they can earn one by their good deeds. We fly to the south, where the hot poisonous air kills human beings unless we bring cool breezes. We carry the scent of flowers through the air, bringing freshness and healing balm wherever we go. When for three hundred years we have tried to do all the good that we can, we are given an immortal soul and a share in mankind's eternal bliss. You, poor little mermaid, have tried with your whole heart to do this too. Your suffering and your loyalty have raised you up into the realm of airy spirits, and now in the course of three hundred years you may earn by your good deeds a soul that will never die."

The little mermaid lifted her clear bright eyes toward God's sun, and for the first time her eyes were wet with tears.

"We may get there even sooner," one spirit whispered.

I was so moved by this piece I will see it again before the short run ends. I highly recommend this explosive, hypnotic and mind-bending extravaganza of superb dancers for everyone over the age of 16. 

Through April 30th at Lyric Opera House. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

 

 

Published in Dance in Review
Friday, 17 February 2023 13:05

Review: 'Anna Karenina' at Lyric Opera House

Happy ballets are alike; every unhappy ballet is unhappy in its own way. Joffrey Ballet brings their haunting production of ‘Anna Karenina’ to the Lyric Opera House for a brief revival. It’s easy to see why this new ballet was such a hit when it held its world premiere in Chicago back in 2019. It’s a remarkably succinct retelling of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel about an unhappy woman’s choice to leave her marriage shortly before the Russian revolution.

Devised and choreographed by Yuri Possokhov, this version of ‘Anna Karenina’ is for both those who have read the novel and those who haven’t. The plot is pared down to the most essential moments. That said, it’s impressive how much is included and how creatively certain scenes are staged, most notably a brutal horse race that closes the first act.

Possokhov’s choreography is sexually evocative and those familiar with the deeply psychological drama will surely recognize the emotions in the dance, especially between Anna and Vronsky, danced by prima ballerina Victoria Jaiani and Alberto Velazquez. Scenes move at a fast clip and are told through a blend of large props, minimalist projections, and soaring vocals. Those who haven’t read the book may miss some of the nuances, but the visuals make the plot clear.

Victoria Jaiani and Alberto Velazquez in 'Anna Karenina" at Lyric Opera House


With live orchestration by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and vocals performed by Jennifer Kosharsky, the original score by Ilya Demutsky leaps off the stage. The music is cinematic but like the choreography, the torment is conveyed through sharp, staccato sequences. In the novel, Anna refers to Vronsky as a murderer after they begin their love affair. Pussokhov’s staging faithfully captures the fact that Anna and Vronsky will never know a moment’s peace. The great irony of Tolstoy’s sweeping love story is that great passion does not always make for a lasting relationship.

‘Anna Karenina’ can be difficult for some readers as large swaths of the book take the focus off Anna and put it onto semi-autobiographical character Levin and his love interest Kitty. A lot of these sections are about the intricacies of Russian farming. Levin is a bit absent from this production as such, but through the contrasting choreography, Anna and Levin’s parallel search for true love is apparent.


This award-winning production returns to Chicago under considerably different political circumstances between Russia and the US. However, Joffrey Ballet honored the Ukrainian people with a moving tribute before the ballet began, demonstrating an awareness and solidarity the Ukrainian people.


Through February 26 at Joffrey Ballet Chicago. 20 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606. www.joffrey.org.

Published in Theatre in Review

The Joffrey is always amazing so I was happy to be assigned this show to review, but I have to admit I wasn’t totally thrilled – I’ve seen Nutcracker several times and I’m just a little bit over it.

Imagine, then, my delight as the curtain opens, not in the familiar opulent parlor; rather, we see ragged children grouped excitedly before posters of the 1893 Columbian World Exposition – a new background story! The Joffrey premiered Christopher Wheeldon’s(he,him)  new choreography six years ago; my companion had seen the new show but they’re a good friend and didn’t spoil it by telling me. I’m not going to be so considerate of you. Spoilers to Come!

It's Christmas Eve 1892, and families of the immigrant construction workers for the World’s Fair meet for revelry in one of their hovels. There they receive a surprise visit from The Great Impresario (Dylan Gutierrez(he,him)), magical designer of the Fair, with his lovable assistant Peter (Hyuma Kiyosawa(he,him)). Gifts are delivered to the children but Marie’s is missing! With a swirl of his red silk cloak, The Great Impresario produces her gift: a beautiful nutcracker.

The party winds down, but Marie (Yumi Kawasawa(she/her)) wakes at midnight to see her little brother Franz (Elliot King(he,him)) being kidnapped by Rodents of Unusual Size! The Nutcracker, now alive and lifesize, battles and defeats the Rat King.  This victory transforms him into the dashing Prince Peter. 

The Great Impresario sails up in a gondola, and the Queen of the Dream Fair (Jeraldin Mendoza(she,her)), resplendent in a gown of gold, grants Marie and the Prince permission to enter the Dream Fair. There, at the various pavilions, we see the familiar dances from countries around the world. 

This recreation changes the entire story of the Nutcracker in several important ways. One detail that’s always bothered me is ‘why is this rich little girl so excited about a nutcracker, of all things?  Surely she’s also received dolls, ice skates; a dozen other gifts’. But here, the Nutcracker is her only Christmas gift, and it comes from none other than The Great Impresario himself, and nowMarie’s excitement makes far more sense, yes? 

But the most important change is that THE NUTCRACKER is now a Chicago story! this version of NUTCRACKER won’t play in New York or Memphis or San Francisco; this is our very own NUTCRACKER, from our very own Joffrey Ballet Dance Company. How fabulous is that?! Thank you for this gift of a NUTCRACKER, choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and Assistant Jacqueline Barrett(she,her).

Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez in Joffrey Ballet's 'The Nutctracker' at Lyric Opera House

There are a score of others to thank for this extravaganza, beginning, of course, with the company. NUTCRACKER is a great production for showcasing Joffrey’s many superb dancers. Victoria Jainani(she,her) once again performs the Arabian Dancer in her characteristic sinuous mode, partnered this year by Edson  Barbosa(he,him). And the final pas de deux with The Great Impresario and the Golden Queen is stunning on many levels; not the least of which is that Gutierrez, after two hours constantly onstage, still manages to make Mendoza float effortlessly.

I already spoke of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who was assisted by Story Adaptation Director Brian Selznick(he,him). Thanks, of course, to composer Piotr Ilyich Tchiakovsky and to the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Scott Speck, with Asst director Michael Moricz. Artistic Director Ajhley Wheater MBE(he,him)  orchestrated the talented production crew, including Staging by Nicholas Blanc(he,him), Adam Blyde(he,him) , and Suzanne Lopez(she,her), and Lighting Designer Natasha Katz(she,her). Katz et al created the staging in 2016 when this Chicago version opened at the Auditorium Theatre. Decisions had to be made about ‘downsizing’ the staging to accommodate the smaller stage at the Civic Opera House (a brilliant venue, by the way). I am charmed that Lighting Recreator Chris Maravich(he,him), with Projection Designer 59 Productions simply projected the “too large” lighting design onto the smaller stage, creating imagery above and to either side of the stage. It felt to me as if we were enclosed – embraced, even – by the entire production. This cozy and inclusive quality suits the new story perfectly. Assistants were Asst Scenic Design by Frank McCullough, Asst Lighting Design by Jon Goldman; and I have to give a shout-out here to 

Basil Twist designed the Puppetry and it can’t be easy for Tandem Otter Productions  to construct  a Nutcracker head that will withstand multiple tours in l’aire and cabriole! The children’s cast requires several directors (talk about herding cats!): Suzanne Lopez, Adam Blyde, Michael Smith, and Caitlin Meighan.

To fully credit THE NUTCRACKER I have to include the audience: scores of little girls – infant balletomanes – in their best Christmas dresses, seeing live ballet for the very first time. What could be more festive?

My heartfelt thanks to all for this enchanting spectacle, a splendid introduction to the 2022 Holiday Season.

Published in Theatre in Review

My major reaction to the Joffrey Ballet’s Fall season opening is deep gratitude: I feel privileged to have seen BEYOND BORDERS. I need to offer a caveat: I love ballet, but I know very little about it. Please, look to the experts for a technical critique. I offer only what I saw and how I feel about it.

BEYOND BORDERS includes three works, beginning with a revival of Liam Scarlett’s “Vespertine”, with Joffrey Cofounder Gerald Arpino’s 1978 classic, “Suite Saint-Saëns” in conclusion.  Both are exquisite in their own ways, but both are also, to my mind, upstaged by the world premiere performance of “colōrem”, from the brilliant up-and-coming choreographer Chanel DaSilva, whose 2020 ballet, “B O R D E R S”, also premiered with the Joffrey.

“colōrem” goes BEYOND BORDERS in so many ways, not the least of which is being the first mainstage work created for the company by a Black woman. As its title suggests, “colōrem” is all about color, like so many of the extraordinary topical works appearing in the 2022-23 Season. It features two sets of dancers wearing unitards (turtlenecked and including gloves and shoes) of glaringly divergent scarlet and charcoal gray, effectively blotting out both their genders and their very humanness.

The Reds and the Grays are separate and subtly discordant, reminiscent of the Sharks and the Jets … or of two rival tribes. This tribal aspect is augmented by the angled, decisive movements and by the precise, driving music by Cristina Spinei. The company’s accuracy and consonance is such that at times I couldn’t tell how many dancers were onstage until one of them moved, repeatedly forming landscapes that would be equally stunning captured in still photography.

Nicole Pearce’s lighting design is used dramatically: curtains, dividers, are created with different colored lights. One of my favorite moments is when a sliver of red light appears along the floor at the back of the stage, and Red dancers wriggle out of the red light onto the stage.

Equally compelling is Liam Scarlett’s “Vespertine”. The piece is unabashedly sensual, enhanced by shadowy stage lighting and Renaissance music – including harpsichord and baroque theorbo, if you please. Michael Hulls’ lighting dimly illuminates the ethereal atmosphere with puffball clusters of bulbs suspended from the ceiling and radiating amber moon-tones.

I already mentioned the impact of the stark leotards in “colōrem”; the costumes in “Vespertine” are also intensely powerful. In accordance with Scarlett’s vision, the dancers wear burgundy and plum: knickers with long-tailed waistcoats, and corsets under extravagant floor-length skirts. The skirts are integrated into the choreography, accenting the sensual movements with swirls and flares of lustrous silk.  Halfway through the dance these sumptuous clothes are stripped away to flesh-toned leotards – as if we are being pared down to our essential selves. 

The final, showcase piece, “Suite Saint-Saëns,” honors co-founder Gerald Arpino’s Centennial Celebration. Camille Saint-Saëns’ music divides the piece into four movements: Caprice Valse, Serenade, Minuet, and Pas Redouble. Clearly earlier than BEYOND BORDERS’ other works, yet Rehearsal Director Suzanne Lopez ensures “Suite Saint-Saëns” remains fresh and original, as the Joffrey ever strives to be. The ballet demands superlative ensemble dancing, while individually highlighting nearly every dancer’s individual mastery – a daunting challenge that Joffrey abundantly meets. Choreographer Agnes DeMille describes the ballet as ‘like standing in a flight of meteors’ – rapid and energetic, demonstrating Arpino’s signature fusion of athleticism, musicality and beauty.   

In all the productions I’ve attended in 2022, the two silent years appear to have rekindled the artists’ creative drive, and they are lavishing upon us three seasons’ worth of talent in a triumphant revival. In BEYOND BORDERS the company is, as ever, gifted, but in this performance they go beyond … well, BEYOND BORDERS, each dancer giving their all to create a unified composition. 

Each piece features principal dancers: two pas de deux by Victoria Jaiani, Alberto Velazquez, Amanda Assucena, and Edson Barbosa in “Vespertine”; Xavier Núñez and Amanda Assucena throughout “colōrem”; and a pas de trois for Anais Bueno, Jeraldine Mendoza and Edson Barbosa in “Suite Saint-Saëns” – to mention only a few. Principals, however, are icing on the Company cake in BEYOND BORDERS; find a full cast list on the Joffrey’s website. As I said, I’m no expert, but I find nothing whatsoever to criticize in the artists’ work, dancers and musicians.

My companion, an experienced stage lighting designer, observed that in “Vespertine,” the puffball globes of lights reflect the varied spotlights. In a certain configuration the wires suspending the foremost centre globe are plainly revealed. As a lighting expert they found this quite distracting. Me, I didn’t notice, but their comment deserves recognition.

Some may find the tickets a bit pricey, but hey! – it’s the Joffrey at Opera Hall!  I personally guarantee that anyone attending BEYOND BORDERS will consider their money very well spent.

Playing at the Civic Opera House through October 23.

It deserves saying again:  Resplendent  … Transcendent … Provocative

VERY Highly Recommended!

Published in Theatre in Review

For the past two-plus years, I’d dreamed of doing all the things in Chicago that were shut down due to the pandemic. When restrictions were lifted and entertainment started to come back to the city, I was determined to say yes to every unique city experience. By far the most Chicago heavy hitting art came with the Joffrey ballet performing Don Quixote with the Lyric Opera.

Don Quixote is a ballet following the adventures of an aging knight-errant who reads epic tales of chivalry and romance, and seeks out on an adventure to revive chivalry and serve his nation, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, and together they travelin search of love and adventure. While Don Quixote is the focus on the ballet, the central theme is a love story; Kitri is the ballet’s feisty and wilful heroine of the ballet. When her father Lorenzo tries to marry her off for money, she doesn't play the victim, but hatches a plan to marry Basilio, the charming barber who has won her heart, and pursue her own version of happiness. It is Don Quixote who stumbles into town, sees what is transpiring and intervenes in the name of chivalry and true love.

The Joffrey principle dancers and ensemble company brought the Spanish classic to life, dancing with all the grace, talent, and poise ballet dancers can possess. Their energy was unparalleled as they leapt and twirled around the stage. The casting was perfection in Victoria Jaiani at Kitri and Dylan Guitierrez as Basilio; notably the Joffrey has a rotation of principle dancers to play the ballet’s leads, offering patrons a unique flare each performance. Set against elaborate and immersive set designs, and accompanied by a live orchestra, Don Quixote was a visual and unexpected wonder. 

The visual and auditory spendlor of the ballet was only surpassed by being in such a historic venue as the Lyric Opera. Here I was, watching some of the nation’s best dancers, perform with a world renowned orchestra, sitting comfortably in a historic Chicago landmark; post pandemic I am grateful for the chance to see such a performance and that others have the opportunity to experience this as well. Thanks to the artistic group’s mask precautions and vaccination card screenings at the door, these performances can continue to bring beauty and light into an increasingly darker world. No matter how bleak the days might seem, The Joffrey helps to remind us that there is still grace and beauty in the world to be experienced, and we must leap at the artistic opportunities when they come our way the way Don Quixote leapt at adventure.

Don Quixote runs through June 12th at the Lyric Opera House at 20 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago. Tickets are available at Joffrey.org.

Published in Theatre in Review

As I ascended Madison Street early Saturday afternoon, my daughter’s hand in mine, Samuel Insull’s Civic Opera House rose up before us, throne-like, a sight that once greeted me daily in our old world with its bustling downtown and delights we took for granted. But our excitement — not just to visit the Joffrey Ballet’s new home, but to visit theater, arts, entertainment, anything — was matched by the excitement of every single theatergoer who’d dressed up and come downtown for the return of the Joffrey’s Nutcracker, a tradition I hope none of us will take for granted again.

The last time I attended the Joffrey, the company was still in the grand old Auditorium Theatre, one of my favorite buildings (and theaters) not just in Chicago, but anywhere. But this weekend, as I set foot in a theater for the first time since early March 2020, I was also for the first time visiting the Joffrey’s new home at the Lyric Opera. And what a return it was.

Just seeing the bustling, eager crowd in the lobby — their faces masked and their vaccination cards visible, but their holiday finery just as prominently on display as in years past — marked a return. Maybe not to normal. But maybe, I hope, to something as good… or better. A normal we appreciate.

Because I know, after seeing the Joffrey’s Nutcracker for the first time in two years, I will never not appreciate this annual tradition for the treasure it is.

The Joffrey’s take on Tchaikovsky’s holiday chestnut has become a treasured tradition itself — in its sixth year now, minus 2020 — its story by beloved children’s author Brian Selznick set amid the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

And the return of the winter wonderland of the World’s Fair proved as magical as I’d hoped, a spark in the audience and a spring in every company member’s step, as we’re transported not just back to pre-2020 Chicago, but a Windy City circa Christmas 1892. Yumi Kanazawa’s young Marie navigates the rat-infested streets beneath the grand Ferris Wheel and towering White City. Dylan Gutierrez’s Great Impresario — the Fair’s fictional architect — makes an appearance before arriving at the hovel Marie shares with her mother and brother in the shadow of the White City.

There, the spectacle begins with a holiday celebration, the Impresario delivering gifts (including the titular Nutcracker), children and the cast dancing, and members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra appearing onstage with violin, clarinet, and accordion as an in-house chamber trio. We’re treated to the comforts of this traditional holiday tale — a broken toy, a young girl’s dream, soldiers and mice battling, and finally a gondola to carry us to Act II.

During intermission, I was able to take in the refurbished building itself. My daughter noted that “it looks old, but new, too.” And, perhaps for the first time ever, I marveled at the lines for the bathroom and the bar, just soaking in the wonder of being part of a day at the theater.

After intermission, Act II brings a new wonderland, a new world — the White City of 1893 Chicago. Set to the Tchaikovsky’s festive second act score, the exotic sights and sounds of the World’s Fair enchant, as they did in previous versions, or as they did more than a century ago. Yoshihisa Arai’s hilarious Mother Nutcracker oversees the children’s ensemble playing hilarious cracking walnuts; Fernando Duarte’s Chinese Dancer parades along with paper dragons; Edson Barbosa’s rootin’, tootin’ Buffalo Bill Cody and his showgirls bring the fireworks. And, as in previous years, the highlight of the Fair’s attractions are the Arabian Dancers, here played by Victoria Jaiani and Temur Suluashvili. The only dancers almost as enchanting are Gutierrez’s Impresario and Jeraldine Mendoza, as the Queen of the Fair, who close out the show.

This presentation of the Joffrey Ballet’s Nutcracker has the same grace and beauty, the same spectacle, as one would have expected in previous years. But while the audience was treated to the same attention to perfection as audiences of the past enjoyed, a new home for the Joffrey and a new sense of appreciation for its continued excellence make this year’s Nutcracker a must-see.

Published in Theatre in Review
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