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All Are Punished

"Romeo and Juliet"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 15, 2023  

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2023 by Denise Sum

The last time Toronto audiences saw Alexei Ratmansky’s “Romeo and Juliet” was in March 2020. Just two days into the run, theatres in Toronto (and around the world) shut down when the pandemic hit. As the National Ballet of Canada gradually resumed live performances, the return to Ratmansky’s production marked a full circle moment. Dancers who have been preparing for “Romeo and Juliet” could at long last perform this dramatic ballet. The opening night cast featured a strong ensemble with great depth from the corps de ballet to the soloist and principal roles. 

Ben Rudisin and Heather Ogden in "Romeo and Juliet". Photo by Karolina Kuras. 

Food Fight

"Like Water For Chocolate"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
June 24, 2023, matinee

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

Balanchine once famously said that there are no mothers in law in ballet, but that is certainly not true, as his revered "The Sleeping Beauty" proves; no one has trouble figuring out the relation of the Queen to the Prince in Act III.  But his point that ballet is not suited to complex plots is certainly valid, and Christopher Wheeldon's new "Like Water For Chocolate", inspired by the Mexican writer Laura Esquivel's novel and the subsequent film, while physically striking, does seem at times like it could use a flow chart of relationships, what with all the sisters and the cousins and the aunts, not to mention the ghosts and the lovers and the babies.  It tells the story of Tita (Devon Teuscher), the youngest daughter of Mama Elena (Zhong-Jing Fang), and her thwarted love for Pedro (Joo Won Ahn), who marries the eldest sister Rosaura (Betsy McBride) to be near Tita, who is turn is loved by the kindly Dr. John Brown (Jarod Curley).  Text projected onto a scrim help explain some of the plot elements, but careful and repeated study of the synopsis is required to follow the twists and turns, which include Mama Elena's back story (her lover was stabbed by her brothers), various weddings and funerals, the Mexican revolution, and demonstrations of bread making.  

ABT in "Like Water for Chocolate" photo © Marty Sohl

Universal Language

"Frame by Frame"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 2, 2023  

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2023 by Denise Sum

It is rare that a new work shows us something we truly have never seen before. When "Frame by Frame" premiered in 2018, it did just that. An ambitious, multidisciplinary collaboration between choreographer Guillaume Côté and famed Quebecois multi-hyphenate Robert Lepage, "Frame by Frame" is a homage to the life and work of Scottish Canadian animator Norman McLaren (1914-1987). In addition to artists of the National Ballet of Canada, LePage’s multidisciplinary production company, Ex Machina, also formed a large part of the creative team. The Quebec City based company brought expertise from working in film, theater, opera and even circus arts. Most importantly, the National Film Board (where McLaren founded an animation studio) was on board with the project, allowing several of McLaren’s works to be presented on screen as part of the ballet. “Frame by Frame” was a strong, original work when it was presented in 2018. Five years later, it has undergone some significant edits that have made it even more cohesive and worth viewing. 

Artists of the Ballet in "Frame by Frame". Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of the National Ballet of Canada.