ABT 2019 - Manon

I am sorry for all the delays in my posting - work has been crazy, then I was under the weather for a bit.  I will try to get out some posts this week and not combine into one big long droning report...

I haven't seen the ballet of Massenet's Manon in five years (you can remind yourself of my review of two performances HERE).  I was very much looking forward to seeing Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo debut in the leads last week, though I have to admit I'm tired of women on stage being punished for owning their sexuality.  But I just have to look past the bothersome stories and focus on the beautiful dance being created on stage or else I'd never go to the ballet again!

There was an interesting article in the NY Times last week about Manon and its problematic storyline, but there's no denying that Kenneth MacMillan created masterful solos and pas de deux for the characters.  Plus, there's one drunk pas de deux that was amazing in its technical difficulty and humor throughout.  This ballet gives a lot of dancers the opportunity to put on glorious costumes, plus act and dance at the same time.  I can see why ABT programmed it, because many of their principal ladies at the moment are terrific actresses.

from Instagram

Manon is about a woman who goes from being an idealistic girl in love with an impoverished student to being a courtesan who enjoys her married lover's wealth (and what it can buy her) to a weak and dying woman.  It's quite a journey for a ballerina and Sarah Lane was definitely up to the challenges.  Her dancing was exquisite, all silky and self-aware when dancing with her patron, and passionate and free when dancing with her young lover, played by the divine Cornejo.  He hasn't performed at all yet this season, I don't think, so I was very grateful to get the chance to see him dance.  Apparently, he's been waiting to dance Des Grieux for a very long time.  I found him to be entirely worth the wait - his passion, especially in the last scene, was quite breathtaking.

Unfortunately, Daniil Simkin injured himself during his gravity-defying performance in Le Corsaire (thank heavens I got to see him!), so he was replaced as Manon's brother by Blaine Hoven, who I've seen quite a bit of this season.  He has always impressed me as a lovely, technically-precise dancer, but he threw down as Lescault!  He was louche, menacing, mercenary, yet still a loving brother (even while selling his sister to the highest bidder).  And his wild abandon (yet still with beautiful control) during the drunk pas de deux was a highlight of this entire season for me.  I found him to be terrific and I'm really looking forward to seeing him take on more lead roles in the future.  I was surprised to see one of my favorites, Joseph Gorak, in a very small role as one of the gentlemen in the brothel.  He stood out to me because of his beautiful carriage and easy, free movement.  I just wonder why he seems to be stuck in the back of the room at the moment (I see he is dancing the prince in Sleeping Beauty later this season, so maybe he's taking it easy or something) - I would so love to see him more often.  I have to admit that I was underwhelmed with the dancer playing the Jailer - my program said it was Roman Zhurbin, but I don't know.  When I looked at him with my binoculars, it didn't look like him to me, and he wasn't his normal fascinating self onstage.  I confess to being confused; maybe it was an off night.

The physical production is gorgeous, with stunning costumes, beautiful sets and lush music (very well-played by the orchestra).  There are times when maybe there are too many of those gorgeously-costumed dancers on stage and it's hard to know where to put focus, but on the whole, even with finding the story extremely problematic (I was describing the plot to a friend and she just grimaced at the absurdity and misogyny running rampant), I had a grand time at Manon.  Lane and Cornejo were sublime and I'm happy to have seen them dance together so beautifully.  Only two ballets left in my season - withdrawal is already starting!