A few days ago, Haglund sat around wondering why during the many years of watching Alessandra Ferri and Julio Bocca in Romeo and Juliet, he was thrilled with each performance and never got bored. In fact, sometimes while waiting for the lights to dim in the Met Opera House and contemplating what was about to come, he would think to himself, "Maybe this time they won't die." Of course, they died. Always. But their performances conveyed such spontaneity and dramatic invention that having a whimsical notion about an altered ending was easy. It's been ten years since the last Ferri/Bocca Romeo and Juliet. While ABT has fielded some good casts, none has been able to create comparable magic.
Last night's opening performance of Romeo and Juliet was led superbly by Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes. There were brilliant performances from supporting cast members, as well: Sascha Radetsky (Tybalt), Grant DeLong (Paris) and Craig Salstein (Mercutio).
While the two leading dancers invested great emotion in their characters, sometimes it seemed calculated – sometimes even miscalculated as when Vishneva rushed the final scene in which she stabbed herself and climbed onto the gray slab to die. She ended up with enough extra music to die twice. While there were wild emotions and flailing arms throughout the evening, there was no sense of spontaneity. The performance could have been a hyped-up Onegin, Camellias, or Giselle. What a disappointment that in Act III Vishneva couldn't lean against the bed and for a half minute stare motionlessly out into the dark while she contemplated her fate. Blink, blink, blink, look up and around, blink, blink isn't the choreography.
One series of interactions which seemed fresh were those between Juliet and Paris. It's not often that the viewer's sympathies are with Paris, but Grant DeLong's interpretation really made you question whether Juliet should be resisting him. His final frustration with her was portrayed with the wonderful honesty of a man rarely driven to the point of losing his composure.
As Tybalt, Sascha Radetsky's final fight with Romeo was as intense as they come. Great theater from both actors. While in the midst of enjoying them, Haglund wished for another chance to see them team up as Othello and Iago in Lar Lubovitch's production of Othello, a masterful work.
Craig Salstein's Mercutio, always well-acted, was excellent technically, as well. He's another underused guy who could pull off a fine Albrecht if he were given half a chance.
Stella Abrera's Lady Capulet brought down the curtain on Act II with true Parkinson hysteria. There were several "Whews" heard in the audience when that was over.
Marcelo's solos were uncharacteristically measured, in some cases even small. Clearly, he wasn't always dancing full out although what he did deliver was fine. He's carrying a heavy load again this season – unnecessarily so. There are other dancers – soloists and corpsmen – who are up to the task of leading a matinee Swan Lake with the company's most minor Odette or dancing Ali or Symphony in C. It's really dumb to let ABT's management talk him into over-extending himself at this point in his career. Where is his manager?
Clinton Luckett offered a poor excuse for both Escalus and Friar Laurence. No theatrical skill at all – a complete washout. When Kirk Peterson's Escalus used to descend the staircase, he was so angry that his face turned red and you could see the veins in his neck bulging. Luckett strolled down like he was in a supermarket aisle. It's hard to speak about how bad his Friar was, but it was miserable. Where is that Kirk Peterson, anyway? Haglund remembers some very taxing and educational classes with him at David Howard's old studio. He might make a pretty good interim director while ABT waits for Stiefel to free himself up. Just trying to offer some helpful suggestions here.
Just to revisit the complaint about calculated performances: Fifteen or twenty years ago after some performance of Romeo and Juliet or Manon, Bocca and Ferri were surprised when at bows the curtain opened a little early and they were caught in an embrace. The audience loved it. Since then, at bows, too many principals at ABT act like the other one is the love of his life and that he can't get enough of him, just to get more applause. It's so fake that it's gag-inducing. They may be dancing for the first time and not even speak the other one's language, but they're hanging all over one another at bows and in front of the curtain. Last night Vishneva apparently wanted the performance to go on, because at the first bow she buried her face in Gomes' chest and didn't even want to look at the audience. Grow up, people, when the curtain comes down, the performance is over.
The Pump Bump Award, a little Juliet stiletto from the Carlos Santana Collection, is bestowed upon Craig Salstein, Grant DeLong, and Sascha Radetsky because they came on stage last night both physically and emotionally prepared to give their best performances. Abraxas, and all that.