observations 3/21

Glowing. Totally filled with light.

What a remarkable debut last night for Sara Mearns in her first speaking role on the stage. Dialogue, dance, charisma – she delivered it all with vitality and panache. Who knew that Sara has such a fabulously unique stage voice? In a time when nearly every voice in town sounds like it came out of the same Broadway U., hers was freshly articulate. The highly entertaining cast of I Married an Angel which included Mark Evans, Nikki M. James, Phillip Attmore, and an utterly brilliant Hayley Podschun made this nearly forgotten Rodgers and Hart musical hum again.

If Mearns can ever use that deep, strong voice to sing -- oh boy oh boy oh boy, watch out!

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Filed moments ago were Plaintiff Waterbury's attorney's request that the defendants' motions to dismiss by NYCB, Chase Finlay, and Amar Ramasar be adjourned until May 20th, the proposed new court date. However, the plaintiff's answers to the motions to dismiss are due by April 12th. (Note that the plaintiff's attorney claims that the attorneys for NYCB, Finlay and Ramasar all agreed to the adjournment, but Finlay's attorney did not sign the document.)

The judge's decision on Longhitano's request that the plaintiff's last minute adjournment request be denied has not yet been published.

Comments

[Suki Hanrahan]

Mearns was exceptional and those who already know her physicality and artistry in dance got the added gift of hearing her lustrous voice. She needs to keep talking (although Anna Harada got the best line!). As for Bergasse, no wonder she’s crazy about him.

[Haglund]

ITA, Suki. And didn't she look fabulous in that wig and in that stage makeup? The naturalness in her expression was strikingly beautiful.

[yukionna]

She looked absolutely gorgeous! I hope she considers easing up on the severe eyeshadow and dark lipstick once she’s back at the ballet.

[Haglund]

I totally agree, Yukionna. Whoever designed her makeup for this production and for The Red Shoes that she danced in at City Center a couple of years ago should follow her back to NYCB and help her break her addiction to the gothic style of makeup that hides her natural expression. I'd rather see her in no makeup on stage than what she uses at NYCB.

[Suki Hanrahan]

I saw her at the Studio 5 workshop and was captured by her naturalness and easy humor. Surprisingly self-deprecating (neat to know). Love the voice. I had a similar reaction when I first heard Irina Dvorovenko speak. Garbo talks!

[LLF]

Attended yesterday’s wonderful Encores matinee performance of I Married An Angel, which includes the always enjoyable talk back session with Jack Viertel and the show’s cast/production people. Of interest was Sara Mearns noting one way she turned her inability to remember lines into a technical skill: by using her muscle memory and stage blocking, treating it like choreography. “When I’m over here I say this line. Then I move here and say this line.” Lots of hard work paid off, she had no problems during the show, and her dancing was like a dream. And hooray once again to Encores for casting one of our local prima ballerinas in a major speaking role, letting everyone share in her talent and helping her stretch in new directions. In addition, the audience was genuinely stunned to hear that Brigitta the Angel was named for Vera Zorina.

[SF]

I found it quite sad that nowhere in the program or the article in the Playbill was there any mention of the original director of "I Married An Angel," Joshua Logan. He worked with Rodgers and Hart several times, and nary a word. Even Richard Rodgers, curmudgeon that he could be, said that Logan was a major contributor to Angel's success. (I don't know if he was mentioned at all at the talkback, but I doubt it) And unfortunately, I think that we already heard what there is of Mearns's singing voice.

[LLF]

SF, there was indeed much discussion of Josh Logan and how I Married An Angel was the result of a real collaborative effort between himself, George Balanchine, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. There was a gentleman on the panel (whose name I've forgotten) who worked with Logan during the last 2 or 3 decades of his life, who was there specifically to give us Logan's take on the production, with many choice anecdotes included.