ABT – The Bright Stream – 5/29

On any given weeknight at the ballet, the typical audience member who plops his tush down in a chair at 7:30 pm has already gone through about 12 hours of crappy day.  Maybe it started out with a late train or a fight with the boyfriend or wife.  Then eight hours of crappy office work - if he's lucky.  It may have rained at lunchtime.  His stocks probably declined.  He might have arrived home to see that the cat heaved up a hairball on the couch – hours ago.  He's hungry but there's no time to sit down and eat before getting to the performance; so, he chews on a bagel while traveling to the theater. 

The point is that on any given weeknight at the ballet, the dancer on stage has to start by dragging the audience out of a hole.  He has to overcome the effects that 12 hours of crappy day have had on his audience – and he has to do it fast.  Few do it as well as Marcelo Gomes.  He is like that strong cocktail you want at the end of the day.  He's the soothing cucumber compress for the tired eyes.  He's the one who will hold up both ends of the conversation so you don't have to struggle for words.  He is – r.e.l.i.e.f. 

Last evening, Gomes along with Paloma Herrera, David Hallberg, and Gillian Murphy led a high energy cast of some of ABT's most talented dancers in the opening performance of The Bright Stream, Alexei Ratmansky's ballet about a Soviet farm collective that has its stook shaken up when an artist troupe comes to visit.  This production requires ensemble work like none other in the repertory.  Not only does each artist have to dance spectacularly, he has to make every minute seem spontaneous and he has to contribute energy to everyone else's performances. 

Craig Salstein as the Accordion Player was, if anything, operatic in his very funny and marvelously danced pursuit of the schoolgirl, portrayed as a naughty innocent by Maria Riccetto.  How are we going to get by a whole year without Maria Riccetto while she's starring in Julio Bocca's company in Uruguay?  How is ABT going put on Balanchine's Symphony in C next year without Maria who has some of the fastest, cleanest legs and feet in the company but never looks hurried?  Oh heck, maybe she'll fly back as a guest artist.

Misty Copeland as the Milkmaid and Jared Matthews as the Tractor Driver charmingly and fully held the stage during their turns.  Alexandre Hammoudi and Joseph Phillips led the Highlanders and Fieldworkers in fabulous folk-inspired corps dances. 

But it was the close knit principal cast that most spectacularly pulled off the pranks, jokes, and "drama" and delivered it all with superlative dancing.  Hallberg as the Sylph ballet dancer was at his most hilarious when playing off Victor Barbee's Old Dacha Dweller and Martine van Hamel's Dacha Dweller.  Her slap of Hallberg's face with her Kitri fan was awfully funny.  Gillian Murphy's Ballerina and Paloma Herrera's Zina characters were portrayed warmly and danced eloquently.  Marcelo Gomes as Zina's husband, who has a wandering eye and finds some playtime with the Ballerina, was masterfully danced and acted.  Duplicity, Gomes style, is always a wrong that feels so good to watch and then forgive.

This cast repeats on Friday night, and there are plenty of tickets available.  The only other hometown cast is today's matinee which should be another great performance.  See this ballet today or Friday.  It's cute, funny, harmless, without violence or drugs, and has very little crime.  In fact, it would be a crime to miss it.  The orchestra actually sounded pretty good last night, especially the cellist who delivered a gorgeous solo. 

The Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Marcelo Gomes, who is carrying an awfully heavy workload again this season, but we're loving our comrade for it.

Comments

[Rachelmarch]

ABT just announced via Twitter that Osipova pulled out of tonight's show - so tonight will also now be a home team performance of Reyes/Cornejo/Boylston/Simkin. Hmmmmm.

[robin]

isabella filled in for osipova monday night as well (gamzatti)- she was quite beautiful.

haglund, i couldn't agree more about marcelo in this- i saw this cast year & he's the most lovable goofball ever. the entire cast is brilliant & i adore martine van hamel to no end. definitely a mood lifter. (tho for me any time i get to go to the ballet is such treat i am already happy by the time the chandeliers go up)

[Haglund]

As I left the theater this afternoon around 4:00 after the performance, no new casting sheets announcing the change had been placed in the lobby, and there was a line of people buying tickets.

[Rachelmarch]

It's up on the ABT website at this point in the calendar as Boylston not Osipova.

[Haglund]

Saw that. Wasn't questioning it, just that ticketbuyers were picking up the old casting sheet on the way to the box office window at 4pm today. Not good form on the part of ABT/MET.

[Kallima]

Now, is it a good or a bad thing that my first reaction was relief that the replacement was at least Boylston and not another guest?

[Haglund]

LOL.

[Ted]

I saw it on the 30th. With Boylston replacing the delicate Osipova.

An even dopier production then The Pirate, if that's possible. And the only ABT production this year I did not like. I was in the Balcony which was a ghost town.

[Haglund]

Hi Ted. Bright Stream is a novelty ballet, not a classic. Most everyone saw it the first year; thus, no need to go back unless you wanted to see particular dancers. Why ABT presented it two years in a row is hard to say.