Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – GISELLE opens ABT’s enticing spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House

• By drediman
• May 18, 2018
• No Comments

Hee Seo and Cory Stearns lead American Ballet Theatre’s production of “Giselle” at the Metropolitan Opera House.

This week, Giselle opened American Ballet Theatre’s spring season, which generously runs through July 7, at the Metropolitan Opera House. The spring season has traditionally focused on full length classical ballets, in contrast to ABT’s fall season (at the neighboring Koch Theater), which typically features shorter, more contemporary pure dance pieces.

Things are slowly shifting at ABT, and in a good way. A lot of it has to do with the current focus on promoting and developing the company’s excellent roster of in-house dancers – ABT’s previous model was to function primarily as a platform for visiting international ballet stars. In addition, the company’s artist in residence Alexei Ratmansky has been creating a steady output of important ballets, most notably inspired re-workings of classical ballets (The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Whipped Cream, Firebird, to name a few). The net result is that ABT is now dancing and operating like an exciting, well-balanced dance company rather than merely a repository for the same old creaky productions.

Based on Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa’s iconic underlying choreography, artistic director Kevin McKenzie’s Giselle (RECOMMENDED) for ABT is one of company’s strongest productions. The staging remains rich and fresh, convincing in its depiction of the ballet’s mysterious, romantic setting and flexible enough to accommodate various interpretations of the ballet’s principal roles. I attended the opening night performance, which featured Hee Seo in the tragic title role, Cory Stearns as her princely love interest Albrecht, and Gillian Murphy as Myrta, the leader of the vengeful supernatural Wilis who dominate the ballet’s mesmerizing second act. All were in fine form. The gorgeous and elegant Ms. Seo is an ideal Giselle, just the right combination of coquettishness, otherworldliness, and passion. Mr. Stearns may not be the flashiest dancer, but his regal physique and understated acting – he’s not at all a ham unlike some dancers who will remain unnamed – created just the right counterpoint to Ms. Seo’s beautifully nuanced performance. As always, Ms. Murphy was commanding and technically solid as Myrta. Under the baton of principal conductor Charles Barker, the ABT Orchestra played Adolphe Adam’s dramatic score superbly.

GISELLE
Dance
American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through May 19