Swan Lake switches from medieval to modern

By Burt Saidel

Dayton’s creative juices are flowing.  Dayton Opera moved HMS Pinafore from the ordinary to the superlative by mounting a fabulous production. Dayton Ballet has done the same with their restaging of Swan Lake.

Tchaikovsky’s great ballet, Swan Lake can never be ordinary. The music is mellifluous and the dancing the epitome of grace. To make the production extraordinary, Ballet Executive Director Dermot Burke invited choreographer Septime Webre to set his version of the medieval legend.  The ballet was done in 2002 to great success.  

The Dayton Ballet is poised to reach new triumphs.  Several dancers have been added to the already superb company. The result was a spectacular presentation of Webre’s exciting conceptualization of this time-honored classic.

By moving Swan Lake from medieval Europe to the age of elegance which was New York in 1912, the story emerged from the mists of myth to an age which we could identify. The novels of Henry James have prepared us for that time of privilege, leisure of the rich, and a formal style.  

With costumes and a set, that gorgeous period was presented to the audience like a tempting buffet. Christine Giannini and resident costumer Lowell Mathwich dressed the ballerinas in magnificent ball gowns and modish hats which eclipsed the tutu-clad swans in stylishness.

The focus of the action was set by opening scenes of our hero, hopelessly under the Oedipal thumb of his mother. As Siegfried, we were able to see handsome Justin Koertgen sublimate his natural macho persona and become a victim of his own frustrations.  

As his icily elegant mother, Abigail Beam, now a dance teacher at Gem City Ballet, made her disdainful grip on her son crystal clear. The result was an imagined, or was it real, progression of pure love, the white swan contrasted with the pull of Keats’ La Belle Dame sans Merci, the evil black swan.

The dance magic began with the famous Pas de Trois.  Beautiful Jennifer Grund, exciting Paul Gilliam and newcomer Oren Porterfield incited the audience into shouts and applause.  Oren’s solo made us think of the late superstar Becky Wright’s
balon.  

The transposition to the dream world of beautiful swans was seamless.  The corps of sixteen swans was augmented by members of DB II and Cincinnati Conservatory dancers.  They performed the challenging postures and graceful intertwining of the swans with elegance and élan.  

The always exciting dance of the Cygnets - Erika Cole, Alexandria Redding, Jennifer Grund and Reno Street - arms joined, feet flashing, nearly stopped the show.   Later, Webre paraphrased the Cygnet dance with his charming “hands in pockets” pas for the male dancers.

Then it was the moment for love personified.  Siegfried meets the white swan. Sharon Lancaster is a most beautiful woman and an elegant dancer.  She is also taking over many duties in the production such as setting the ballroom scenes.  

Her Pas de Deux with Justin and her stunning solos were the very essence of ballet. Both dancers used their exquisite training and their passion for their art.  

The crisis of Swan Lake was not neglected. The electrifying appearance of Christy Forehand as the Black Swan was one of the focal moments of the evening.  

There was double casting in all of the major roles.  Each of these alternates are also stars.  The word on the street was complete praise for every performance.  Now, the company moves to Pre-Revolutionary America for America’s Robin Hood.  I predict another triumph.

WSU’s Threepenny Opera

Theatre Chairman Stuart McDowell, affable and passionate about theater, is a scholar on the subject of the German poet Berthold Brecht and his composer collaborator Kurt Weill.  

Brecht and Weill set the tone of sneering protest and commentary on the hedonistic period of the 1920s, especially in Germany.  The Post World War I era was one of spiraling inflation, wild self-indulgence and a break with the traditional theater and musical genre.  

In 1928, they produced one of their biggest hits.  Threepenny Opera.  Based on the 18th century Beggar’s opera by John Gay, it was a sensation in Germany.  That successful appeal has continued.  The secret is the music of Weill and the biting satire of Brecht’s poetry.

Brecht and Weill added teeth and claws to Gilbert and Sullivan’s irreverent look at society.   Every character was a caricature and every song a homily full of cutting protests railing against the ills of society.  

Wright State has mounted a production full of the spirit of the original.  Played on a most creative and amorphous set by Don David, with Lisa Loen’s costumes defining each character and Stuart McDowell’s imaginative and knowledgeable direction moving the satire, it had all the elements of a triumph.

There is one unalterable rule in playing a Brecht drama or musical.  Every single word must be understood.  Each song is full of biting wit.  Unfortunately, with the exception of a few actors, the dialogue and songs were largely unintelligible.  

Great songs, such as “The Pirate Song,” were well sung but completely without meaning.  The song tells the story of Jenny, a hapless washerwoman.  One day pirates arrive and take over the town. Jenny is placed in command and she orders the pirates to kill everyone.  This is the pith and moment of the entire play.  Without it, we have diluted the plot, the characters and the message.

There were outstanding performances by Shavey Brown as Peachum, Sarah Weinhardt as Jenny, Julie Langan as Mrs. Peachum and an electrifying example of audience control by Sinatra Onyewuchi who made every syllable count.

The delightful choreography by Dionysia Williams was as staccato as the music.  The chorus of bordello girls and gang members/police were well chosen, expressive and very clever.  

Rick Church’s live music, on stage, did great justice to Weill’s special sound. It was a special McDowell touch to have JJ Tiemeyer and Kyle Schuller temporarily abandon their roles and take up trumpet and clarinet.   Will Hutcheson stood out with his natural comedic sense as Fitch.

I still categorize WSU’s Threepenny Opera as a “don’t miss.”  Just read up on the libretto!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BURT !

top of page

February 20, 2007
Volume 16, No. 8

front page
arts
schools
sports
editorial
'round town
people
events
obituaries