Julia Child lectured about dance, although she didn’t realize it at the time. Back when television was honest – thanks to no editing capabilities – if she accidentally broke a yolk in her kitchen, she made a joke out of it. Her kitchen counter was often cluttered, and she utilized tools that looked like they’d been used thousands of times over many decades. Her hand-mixer, for instance, had almost all of the paint rubbed off of its motor encasement. She even licked her fingers occasionally just like we all do in our own kitchens. One of Julia Child's tips to cooks was:
When you have a few cake formulas and filling ideas in your repertoire, you will find that it’s pretty much an assembly job – you can mix and match a different way every time.
That pretty much describes the new choreography that we see on the stages of New York by those who are much vaunted by, well, people who should know better along with people who know nothing at all. Same formulas, same filling ideas, different packaging.
But let’s talk about Mark Ryden’s delicious designs that are for the first time being adapted to the stage in ABT’s fantastic production of Whipped Cream as choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky. We saw the first two performances in Costa Mesa at the Segerstrom Center in March where the stage is not as deep as The Met Opera’s. The overall effect at the Segerstrom was one of more intimacy, and details of the designs were more visible. The curtain rose to reveal a country setting with a little white church from which children would blast through its doors to the outside in celebration of their Confirmations and climb aboard a pink flowered wagon to be driven off to the pastry shop. At the Segerstrom, the pony pulling the wagon seemed so much closer to the audience. Its eyes sparkled. Its magnificently coifed mane looked soft to the touch, and it pawed the ground like a real pony – as we said in our original review, it was better than a real pony. But on the mammoth stage at The Met Opera on Monday evening, the magic was less visible because the pony and wagon were so far upstage. We think that our pony needs to come more downstage, and he should give a whinny or two when the curtain rises.
Already in the first scene, the darkness and Grimm-like layering of complexities in Ryden’s surreal world were evident. The children laughed, the children played, the children celebrated and climbed aboard a beautiful wagon pulled by a stunningly handsome pony – all against a backdrop of dark clouds with whipped peaks billowing above the sharp shapes of giant conifers. The sharpest of the shapes would appear in the final scene when the narrow, towering Nicolo, Master of Ceremonies slowly glides to center stage to marry The Boy (Daniil Simkin) to Princess Praline (Sarah Lane).
At the center of the Pastry Shop in Act I were cascading shelves where the confections, tea, and coffee were stored. For his much anticipated entrance back to the Met stage after a three year absence, David Hallberg did not rush down a ramp onto the stage nor did he leap from the wings with a splashy jete. Nope, he casually came out of the can. Of course, we are talking about the coffee can on the shelf as he was Prince Coffee. Costumed in blond and dark roast stripes with a Turkish fez hat, he was about the furthest thing from our fond memories of David Hallberg. But his dancing had the familiar grace that we had missed for so long. He steeped and stewed after Princess Tea Flower (Stella Abrera) who initially wasn’t that interested, particularly when at first it seemed that Prince Coco (Joseph Gorak) and Don Zucchero (Blaine Hoven) might be able to spice up her cup with a little more pleasure. But Princess Tea Flower and Prince Coffee swirled their aromas in a lovely PdD and discovered that they were one another’s true brew.
In Act II, The Boy (Daniil Simkin) who had been taken to the hospital after indulging in too many sweets in the pastry shop, had a series of nightmares until Princess Praline (Sarah Lane) arrived atop a huge white and pink snow yak with an army of characters to save him. We previously described their dancing when we reviewed the world premiere last March. Last night, they had even more charm and sweetness to go with their delicious dancing.
The production overall is a tremendous pleasure to watch – but not for the choreography which was for the most part inconsequential. The music by Richard Strauss in some places is not all that danceable. Ratmansky’s reaction to that seemed to be to cram in as many steps and as much choreographic minutiae as possible to win over the viewer – especially in Act I which was so over-choreographed that it became tiresome. This was the exact same type of over-choreographing that we saw in On the Dnieper which was Ratmansky’s very first ballet for ABT eight years ago. There, the Prokofiev music was not particularly accessible to dance; so, Ratmansky crammed a zillion steps and choreographic minutiae into it to compensate. Only at the very end of Whipped Cream, when Simkin performed his over-the-top happy dance to express his relief of being out of the hospital and his joy of finding Princess Praline, did the steps and the music appear to be in love.
Complaining aside, this is a ballet very much worth seeing for its designs and charm. Just remember that its main course is dessert.
Wednesday afternoon, Devon Teuscher will debut as Princess Tea Flower. Given her affinity for Ashton’s complex and speedy choreography, we are sure that she will do well in this sudden and very taxing assignment in her schedule. As Julia Child said, If someone offers you a freshly caught whole large fish, like a salmon or a stripped bass, don’t panic; take it!
The H.H. Pump Bump Award goes to David Hallberg for his most welcomed return to his home stage.
I saw the Gala performance and the ballet was wonderful. Yes, the dancers looked a bit too manic at times, but the acting and the dancing were great (even with a few hiccups).
Abrera's costume had to be the most beautiful tutu I've ever seen in a ballet. And her male partners costumes were attractive as well. I loved the scrim work for the Candy shop, a little bit Louis XVI.
Interestingly, the best choreography involved the dancers wearing huge character heads. Because they could not move fast, Ratmansky was forced to pare down his steps. It looked good. Lane and Simkin had a lot of chemistry and danced well together. I can't wait for their Giselle debuts.
Posted by: melponeme_k | May 24, 2017 at 03:59 PM
Hi, melponeme_k. Wasn't that Worm Candy Man fantastic? Given the larger size of the Met Stage, I think that they could add some more characters for that finale. I understand that this big cat got cut out of the production at the last moment in Costa Mesa: https://www.instagram.com/p/BRrRId7AZth/?taken-by=markryden
We have plenty of room for him in our NYC Sanctuary City. Bring back the cat!!!!
Posted by: Haglund | May 24, 2017 at 05:30 PM
I saw the Tuesday evening show. Mark Ryden's designs were just marvelous.
I wish I could have seen Hallberg and Abrera. I saw Cory Stearns and Hee Seo on Tuesday, and I thought they did good. Beautiful couple, but neither one is particularly expressive. I do wish the Coffee Prince's bottoms were a solid color instead of stripes. Stearns looked like a dancing optical illusion from my seat. In any case, I'm eager to see this again next month with Gomes and Abrera.
The Act II PdD with Jeffrey Cirio and Cassandra Trenary was so sweet, I wanted an immediate rewind.
Posted by: yukionna | May 24, 2017 at 09:32 PM
Thanks, yukionna, for the report. Yes, that Prince Coffee costume is unusual. The first time I saw his four coffee guards, I thought that they were actually old fashioned rootbeer barrel candies.
Posted by: Haglund | May 24, 2017 at 09:41 PM
I saw the first three Whipped Cream performances this week, and loved everything about them and everyone in them - except for Hee Seo, ABT's own cure for insomnia, who was such a letdown on Tuesday evening, especially after Stella Abrera's beautiful dancing on Monday. However, Devon Teuscher MORE than made up for it at today's matinee. She is everything people have been saying about her, and I believe she stole the show. Those twinkling Swarovski crystals on Tea Flower's bodice seemed to be messaging us that a real star has finally arrived. I can't wait to see her Swan Lake next month. PS, I thought that Prince Coffee was a Prince Cappuccino, in a costume silhouette reminiscent of Harlequin but made of cappuccino colors and stripes - very Italian espresso!
Posted by: LLF | May 24, 2017 at 11:14 PM
It may be worth the cost of a trip to NY just to see Marcelo Gomes pop out of that coffee tin! Seriously considering it, after my three helpings of WHIPPED CREAM in Costa Mesa, where Marcelo did not dance. Haglung, interesting observations about the relative depths of the two stages and how it affects the perception of the designs. In Costa Mesa, all seemed perfectly clear and intimate, even from way up high.
Posted by: Jeannette | May 25, 2017 at 03:31 AM
Jeannette, I sampled Whipped Cream from both the orchestra and loge levels in Costa Mesa and was happy with how close I felt to the stage. The Met is less ideal, unfortunately.
Posted by: Haglund | May 25, 2017 at 08:45 AM
LLF, great to hear about Devon's debut. You will be astonished at how complete her Odette/Odile are. Sorry to hear about Hee Seo who was rather lifeless at the second performance in Costa Mesa. She seems not to have an incentive to get any better. Perhaps McKenzie will be less dependent on her now that he has pried open his eyes to see what Devon, Stella, and Christine Shevchenko can do.
Posted by: Haglund | May 25, 2017 at 08:58 AM
Saw the evening performance last night-- wow, what an achievement! Now I'm sad we have to wait until June to see it again. I have binged almost exclusively on Balanchine the past few months, a hearty supper, and enjoyed turning off my brain for a change and enjoying this dessert.
Posted by: iris | May 25, 2017 at 10:22 AM
Hi, Iris. Maybe for the June performances, they will bring back The Cat for the finale...😿
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRrRId7AZth/
Posted by: Haglund | May 25, 2017 at 11:11 AM
I saw yesterday's matinee performance and I loved every minute of it! It was like being inside a Dali-inspired candy-fever-dream. Really wonderful. I thought Devon was fantastic and Skylar really shone. I've enjoyed watched her dancing mature and this role seemed made for her. Even James Whiteside didn't bother me as much as normal, his brand of showmanship worked much better for me in this production than when he takes on the dramatic roles. I saw your above post about the cat, and I definitely think there would be room on the Met stage! I loved all the characters such as the candy worm man and the giant giraffe. This is a truly special production.
Posted by: Catherine | May 25, 2017 at 12:57 PM
Thanks, Catherine. I thought that one character was a giraffe, too, but they are calling it Long Neck Piggy. If they'd have had a stuffed animal replica for sale, I would have paid whatever I needed to pay to get my hands on it.
Posted by: Haglund | May 25, 2017 at 08:01 PM
Pig? It definitely seemed like a giraffe to me. I actually went to the Met gift shop afterwards to try and find one! I feel like they really missed out on some great merchandising opportunities. They had a lot of Misty barbie dolls for sale, however...
Posted by: Catherine | May 26, 2017 at 12:08 AM
Thanks Haglund and everyone for your thoughts. Re Stella, she has been nominated for a 2017 Benois de la Danse award for her beautiful Aurora in Ratmansky's "Sleeping Beauty!" I'm crying happy tears and am ecstatic for her! She totally deserves this recognition! It's long overdue!
Posted by: Erica | May 26, 2017 at 03:28 PM
The only merch is an uninspired tshirt (which I still bought) and a great set of stickers. I agree-- where are the stuffed animal creations? I would desperately love to have the yak or the giraffe/pig! Or how about a bobblehead of the Chef? A tea set inspired by princess tea flower? Beautiful branded candies?
Posted by: Iris | May 26, 2017 at 10:24 PM