ABT - Onegin plus a lovely curtain raiser

Last night, I saw the next ballet in my ABT subscription, John Cranko's Onegin, with music by Tchaikovsky.  I've never seen the ballet Onegin before, though I have seen the Ralph Fiennes movie.  I think it helps to be a little familiar with the story beforehand, and ABT provides a nice synopsis in the playbill.

I had hoped to see Julie Kent dance Onegin, since she permiered this particular version and she's my favorite, but last night was my only free night this week.  I lucked out, though, because I got to see two gorgeous performances by Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes.

I saw Diana and Marcelo dance Giselle last year and adored them.  They are a wonderful partnership - very secure with each other and in tune with each other's emotions.  They were just as secure and in tune with each other last night.  It was a beautifully passionate performance from both.

Even though Marcelo generally projects warmth and dignity on stage, he still acted the role of the chilly and remote Onegin very well.  His hands were particularly expressive showing his disdain for everything around him.  And, as always, his dancing was superlative.  The extension he gets is so gorgeous; and his partnering is just expert.  There were a lot of tricky lifts and holds in the pas de deux, but you never felt nervous with him.  I've seen other dancers where you're not quite sure if the next move will happen, but never with Marcelo.

When we first see Diana's Tatiana, she's a young, idealistic girl.  She dances with abandon and joy and passion - she's almost reckless in her dancing, but not.  It's the characterization.  The pictures she makes with her body are just so beautiful.  There was one position, where she's reaching with her arms, yet moving away en pointe - so evocative and moving.  When we see her later, after life, death and Onegin's rejection have taken their toll, she is still beautiful, but more reserved and dignified.  When she sees Onegin again, you can see the shock go through her body, and the remembrances of how she felt in her youth.  It's really amazing.  And their final pas de deux was heart-stopping.  So gorgeous.

One of my new favorites, Natalia Osipova, danced the role of Olga, the sister, and she was wonderful.  Such a buoyancy in her dancing.  She was flirtatious and saucy, a lovely contrast to Tatiana, yet remorseful when she saw what her flirtations have wrought.  And she was beautifully matched with Jared Matthews as her fiance.  At first, he seemed a little boring to me, but then I realized he was just right.  His character is the safe one, the steady one.  But in his solo before the duel, he was fantastic and dynamic.  The music there was also amazing - a gorgeous violin solo.  Exquisite.  I also enjoyed Gennadi Saveliev as Prince Gremin - he made some lovely choices in the ballroom pas de deux with Diana.

I didn't really know this score before.  Like most Tchaikovsky ballet music, this is evocative and dramatic, though I did find some of the tempi to be repetitive.  I could perhaps lay that at the conductor's feet.  But my mind wandered a couple of times due to a sameness of the music.  All was forgiven, though, by the end.  I was wrung out by the emotion Marcelo and Diana were sharing - you felt their anguish and regret.  I love me some anguish and regret expressed via dancing... ;)

They were exhausted during the curtain call and clung to each other very movingly.  I stupidly forgot my camera and had to use the cell phone for curtain call photos.  So, they're not very good.  Darn it.   But the applause was rapturous and very sustained.  Again, Diana gives a good curtain call - just as good as her dancing during the ballet.  I like that in an artist.  :) 

Apparently, they haven't done Onegin for eight or nine years - I hope they don't wait that long to bring it back.  I'd love to see it again and soon.  I'm sorry I can't go back to see my Julie do it.  Oh well.  Next week, I'm SO excited and I'm trying not to get carried away with excitement at seeing Firebird and Apollo.  SO excited...

As for the lovely curtain raiser, I was very fortunate to be able to attend the third Lilly Awards at Playwrights Horizons last night before I went to the Met.  A few years ago, some of the movers and shakers in theater decided to honor women for their theatrical contributions, since it didn't seem like anyone else was interested in honoring women.  So, the Lilly Awards were born.  Many thanks to Theresa Rebeck, Marsha Norman and Julia Jordan for keeping this fine tradition going.  It was a fun evening and a packed-to-the-gills house, filled with laughter, appreciation and warmth.  Each of the presenters spoke movingly about the recipients - Tonya Pinkins was especially inspiring.  And gorgeous.  I was so moved by all of the acceptance speeches and congratulate all of this year's recipients: Diane Paulus, Nina Arianda, Katori Hall, Leslye Headland, Sarah Benson, Heidi Ettinger, Cristin Milioti, the magical Tina Howe and Estelle Parsons.  And a shout-out to this year's Miss Lilly, the incomparable David Ives, who was a good sport to wear his sash and tiara proudly on stage all evening.  :)