ABT 2015 - Othello

My favorite ballerina, Julie Kent, is retiring this season, so my subscription is mainly about getting to see her as much as possible.  I was sorry not to see her last Saturday aftenoon, but last night, I was fortunate to see her dance in Lar Lubovitch's Othello, alongside the divine Marcelo Gomes.  I've seen this ballet only once before, in 2007, and here is some of what I had to say about it:



photo credit: Gene Schiavone

First up:  Othello, choreography by Lar Lubovitch, music by Elliot Goldenthal.  I have to say, the parts I loved, I LOVED, but the parts I didn’t love, EW.  So there you have it.  A really educated opinion.  Anyway, I think some of the score is terribly overwritten, especially the stuff in the group numbers.  Way too much percussion and, dare I say it, too many notes.  And then the choreography is way too much, too.  So, which came first, I wonder:  too many notes or too much arm gesturing?  The world may never know.  But the solos, pas de deux, pas de trois and even the pas de quatre were incredible.  Just amazing.  Marcelo Gomes was Othello and he was terrific.  Bold and sensual, but didn’t overplay the hand-wringing jealousy stuff.  He was beyond great. 

photo credit: Gene Schiavone

Much of what I said then applies again now.  I remembered very little of that first viewing, but as before, there were parts I loved, which brought tears to my eyes, and that I thought illuminated the timeless story of jealousy and revenge beautifully.  And there were some parts that I certainly did NOT love, most especially the parts done by the corps de ballet.  They had most of the oddest choreography, set to the oddest music.  So I wasn't really a fan of those parts of the ballet.

But oh, those pas de deux, trois and quatre!  Wonderful stuff.  The partnering choreography was exquisite, and the drama kept building throughout the evening.  As a piece of storytelling, Othello succeeded magnificently.  Am I quite sure it's a good ballet?  No, I'm not quite sure.

photo credit: Gene Schiavone

Marcelo Gomes, as always, was perfection.  He was regal and assured, yet vulnerable and easily manipulated.  He wore his emotions on his sleeve, but was never reckless about moving from feeling to feeling.  Everything was meticulously put together, and then danced with freedom and beauty.  He was fantastic.  And Julie Kent, as Desdemona, was his equal.  Her solo choreography may not be terribly demanding, but the drama certainly is, as were all the beautiful shapes and extensions she had to achieve during the lifts and turns she did in various partners' arms.  She had a beautifully clear throughline - she was so gentle and in love at the beginning and so sad and afraid by the end.  I was watching through my binoculars and the  death scene was just exquisite.

James Whiteside was a devious and insinuating Iago.  Even his hair was on board with his characterization!  But he was rigid and cold, with beautiful lines and gorgeous lift.  I loved his pas de deux with Stella Abrera as his wife, Emilia.  One moment, she's begging him to stop his evil planning and he's pushing her aside, and the next moment you can see how turned on they are by each other and their dance becomes a sexual coming together.  Really interesting.  And the pas de deux Iago has with Othello are equally compelling - not a sexual energy, but still a spark of something was there.  Joseph Gorak was again terrific as Cassio, who has a lot of the more 'classical' choreography.  He was regal and sweet; you could see he wanted to be a devoted friend to both Othello and Desdemona, and his naivete made him the perfect patsy for Iago.  I wasn't quite as taken with Misty Copeland as Bianca, who danced with bouncy verve but not much clarity.

There was a moment in the ballet, during Gomes and Kent's first pas de deux, where I got a little teary, both at the beautiful dancing I was seeing and at the realization I wouldn't be seeing the two of them dance so thrillingly together again.  It made me happy and sad, all at the same time.  Their curtain call was touching, they really seem to respect each other and to love dancing together.  I know I love watching them dance together and I'm trying not to think about how sad I'll be next season when I won't get to see them together again.  I'll just try to enjoy what I can before Julie goes.  I wish I could afford to get a ticket to her Giselle next week, but I guess I'll have to be satisfied with my memories of her past performances in that...