ABT - The Dream/Firebird

I can't believe I only have two more ballets for the season after last night's trip back to ABT!  Wah!  The summer ballet season goes way too fast.  I was hoping, by picking up some extra tickets, it would make the season seem longer.  Nope.  Didn't work.  I still think it's going too fast.  As usual, I had a grand time at the Met last night.  I know.  I'm a broken record.  :) 

I had considered exchanging last night's tickets, since I had already seen Firebird, but then I remembered I'd never seen The Dream live, only on PBS.  Plus, in my subscription series, The Dream was danced last night by Xiomara Reyes, one of my favorites, so I thought...what the heck.  Plus, I did really want to see Firebird again, since I had had some quibbles with it when I saw the opening night last week.

I love A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I did the play in college and working on the play is a happy memory, though I did it at an unhappy time in my life.  I've worked on the play many other times over the years, so I was charmed to see the ballet version, with has beautiful music by Mendelssohn.  There was even a Young People's Chorus, which was lovely.

The Dream, choreographed by Frederick Ashton, deals mainly with Titania and Oberon, though the two sets of lovers do come into the woods so Puck can mess about with love.  The choreography is lovely, with beautiful pas de deux for Titania and Oberon, and very clever comic choreography for the lovers.  I enjoyed the production very much.

I will say that Xiomara Reyes, though an adorable Titania, didn't have quite enough of a regal quality about her.  She's such an itty bitty thing.  In the beginning, the business with her changeling boy seemed petulant rather than spoiled monarch.  But her dancing is exquisite and she has the most beautiful hands.  Cory Stearns was appropriately regal, but I thought his portrayal of Oberon lacked heft.  He had lovely line and beautiful extension, but could've used a tad more 'oomph'.  He partnered Xiomara very nicely, though.  Stella Abrera as Hermia was adorable and Jared Matthews was a very romantic Lysander.  I thought Sascha Radetsky mined the comic bits well as Demetrius and Maria Riccetto was a fun Helena.  I forgot about the little solo for Bottom, as danced by Alexei Agoudine.  Putting him en pointe, to make it look like he's dancing on hooves, is genius.  And he had just the right amount of silliness and pathos as Bottom.  But the star of the evening was Herman Cornejo as Puck.  Clearly, Puck has the best choreography, but Cornejo exploded while dancing it.  His leaps were high and light, his turns were fast and secure, plus he had a, well, puckish sense of fun about him.  I thought he was fantastic and the best part of the evening.  The audience agreed with me, I think.  He got repeated and sustained applause.  I enjoyed seeing The Dream and wouldn't mind seeing it again in upcoming seasons.  My Julie is dancing it tonight and I toyed with trying to go, but, hello, even I have my limits.  :) 

One tiny annoying bit - there were young girls sitting behind me and when they started to get bored at the end of The Dream, they began kicking my seat.  Not on purpose, but because they were fidgeting and restless.  But you know how I hate that.  I held in my annoyance and had a quick quiet word with the mom before the start of the second act.  She was very apologetic and understanding, so I'm glad I didn't lose my temper at the girls.  I wouldn't want to ruin their evening out, especially if it had been their first ballet.

After another extra-long intermission, we got to Firebird.  This was the same cast that I saw last week, but they performed with much more smoothness and security last night.  The partnering was more seamless and it seemed like they all settled into the choreography better and gave it some extra brio.  I definitely enjoyed the piece more last night.  Plus, I knew what to expect, I guess, so I could pay attention more closely to smaller details.  Marcelo Gomes was again charming and virile, and his boots again squeaked.  I guess there's nothing to be done.  It's a little distracting in the first prologue scene because the music is so quiet, but after that, it's not as noticeable.  I thought Natalia Osipova as the Firebird was even more impressive last night - those slides even made sense.  I could really see her desperation to get away from Marcelo, coupled with her fascination for him.  You could see her wrestling with herself, alongside wrestling with him, during their first pas de deux.  I liked that very much.  David Hallberg was again sublime (but, really, when isn't he?) as the evil Kaschei.  I think that wig and frock coat free him to have such fun, yet still dance with beautiful line and musicality.  I still liked the pas de quatre (which was unliked by most of the critics I read. oh well), and again thought the ending was lovely.  There was one cute moment when one of the oddball maidens dropped her apple (the apple thing doesn't really work, but oh well) and it rolled off-stage.  She just shrugged, dropped her head, and flat-footedly walked to get it.  She stayed in character and the audience appreciated it.  Sometimes it's nice to see a little unexpected choreography.  :) 

All in all, another lovely evening at ABT.  Oh, and the girls didn't kick me once during the second act.  Yay for their mom.  Next week, Swan Lake and romantic goopiness.  Yum.  Then Le Corsaire, with Ethan Stiefel, in his next-to-last performance before retiring from ABT.  Can't wait.

Brief tennis plea to the tennis gods:  please, please, please.  Please.  A final with two different combatants.  Please.  Thank you.  I dare not jinx any further by saying anything else...