ABT - The Bright Stream and other ramblings

I greatly enjoyed the new ballet at ABT, Ratmansky's The Bright Stream.  With music by Shoshtakovich, it was apparently done in the 30s and banned by Stalin.  This current version has been done by the Bolshoi and now by ABT.  Monday night, I saw the cast that originated the roles for ABT.

I am not really a huge fan of Paloma Herrera, who danced the lead role.  I don't enjoy how she breaks the line of her arms, and her hands are really sloppy sometimes.  She controlled them a lot better in this performance, though, and her feet were exquisite.  I don't think she really 'fills' the stage, though.  Not like some of the other principals.  But mainly she was relatively lovely.  Marcelo Gomes, as her flirtatious husband, was terrific.  Again, just virile and charming, with gorgeous extension.  Their final pas de deux was beautiful.  Gillian Murphy as the Ballerina was grand, and my current uber-fave danseur, David Hallberg, was a laugh riot as the Ballet Dancer.  The choreography was light and airy and a lot of fun.  There was a particular piece of choreography for the corps that I found gorgeous--two gents swinging a gal between them; it sounds like something you could've seen a zillion times before, but it was actually new to me.  And I really enjoyed it. 

The real fun of this ballet is in the second act, when there is role-playing and gender-bending.  Gillian Murphy danced as a man and David Hallberg danced as a woman.  May I just say that anytime he wants to do a Giselle AS Giselle, I would go.  His work en pointe was really amazing, and his partnering with Victor Barbee was so funny.  I can't really describe how laugh-out-loud funny it was to watch a pas de deux with the roles reversed.  It seemed like the entire audience was having a great time.  I hope they had this ballet to the repertory--I would definitely like to see it again.

Brief notes about various and sundry things:  I really enjoyed the Tony broadcast this year.  I laughed out loud with total glee when Neil Patrick Harris and Hugh Jackman did their host-off.  Neil Patrick Harris is just a grand host--so charming and smart and funny.  He can seemingly do anything.  The rap he did at the end was terrific!  Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote it and he too can seemingly do anything.  Oooo, let's start the campaign that next year, Lin comes on stage to rap with NPH.  That would be terrific. 

As for the recipients, congrats to all.  I did hope that Scottsboro Boys would pull out the Best Score, but oh well.  It seems to have a lot of upcoming productions, and hopefully they'll sell more CDs after America got a look at the snippet they presented on the Tony broadcast.  I was so pleased that John Benjamin Hickey was recognized for his terrifically moving performance in Normal Heart.  And God love Larry Kramer.  He looked so happy to be there and was very eloquent in his brief remarks.  Thumbs up on the whole show.  Now if only they could broadcast all the awards during the main three-hour tv event...

My recent trip to Fairfax was very successful.  All I'll mention is that I had an amazing meal at a restaurant called Villa Mozart.  I had the penne martelli, which was a penne pasta with lobster in a balsamic reduction.  Oh. My. God.  It was so delicious.  I was wary at first of the balsamic reduction, but it was perfect with the lobster.  It cut through the richness beautifully.  The only photo I got was of my dessert, a limoncello souffle.  It could've been a bit more lemon-y, but it was still quite tasty...

The service was very slow, but that seemed to be modus operandi for restaurant service in Fairfax.  It didn't seem leisurely, it seemed slow.  I wonder why.

My exchange surgery is next Monday--I'm ever so ready for it.  I'm so swollen and so uncomfortable.  I just pray that the new implants aren't as uncomfortable.  I'm guessing they couldn't be, but who knows?  We'll just have to see how it goes.  I'm happy to have a week off during the first week of Wimbledon--my mom and I will enjoy watching it live every morning.  I'm feeling a little Pollyanna-ish.  Let's play the Glad Game!  :)