Kevin O'hare(2016) ３
https://balletassociation.co.uk/pages/reports-2016-kevin-ohare
ケヴィンは劇場の上の方のamphitheatreから観るのが好きだが、今は少しめまいがするのでそこから観る姿は見られない
Kevin likes to see shows from the amphitheatre but now is getting a bit of vertigo and he couldn't be seen to walk out part way through.
「インザナイト」「牧神の午後」「大地の歌」のトリプルビルでは、ケヴィンは「大地の歌」を早い時期に再演しようと考えていた。ほかのキャストで上演するのは大事なことで、ローレン・カスバートンは素晴らしかった
In the triple bill (In the Night, Afternoon of a Faun, Song of the Earth) Kevin bought back Song of the Earth from earlier in the season. This is important to do, for example in this case it enabled him to get another cast on. Lauren Cuthbertson was fabulous.
アメリカツアーではワシントンでのドン・キホーテの前にカルロス・アコスタがくるぶしに問題が起きた。リハーサルの間足を引きずっていたが翌日の朝食には彼はいつも通り明るく楽しげだった。彼を止めるものは何もなく、彼の素晴らしい技術が彼を助けた。そのときもとても素晴らしい舞台だった。シカゴではカルロスのロイヤルバレエでの最後の全幕舞台となった。
On the tour to America, Carlos Acosta had an ankle problem before Don Quixote in Washington. He hobbled his way through the rehearsal, but next day at breakfast he was bright and cheerful as usual. Nothing was going to stop him, his fantastic technique helped. It was a fabulous performance. And the same in Chicago which was Carlos's last full length performance with the Royal Ballet.
オペラの照明準備をしていたのでニューヨークのメトロポリタン歌劇場では公演できなかった。セットのサイズが合わず、「Aeterum」が上演できず、カナディアンバレエがアメリカでの上演権を持っているので「不思議の国のアリス」も上演できなかった。そこで、「夢」「不安の時代」「大地の歌」「インフラ」とガラのミックスビルを上演することにした。アメリカンバレエシアターのレパートリーである「夢」の上演には批評家たちは驚いた。サム・レインの「夢」での群舞と妖精たちは素晴らしかった。サムは素晴らしかった。いいシーズンの終わりになった
They couldn't go to the Met in New York because they are doing the lighting for opera. They couldn't do Aeternum because the sets wouldn't fit in the theatre, and they weren't able to stage Alice in Wonderland because Canadian Ballet has the rights to perform in the US. He chose mixed bills of The Dream and Song of the Earth, and then Age of Anxiety, Infra, with gala pieces. The critics wondered why he chose The Dream as it is in ABTs repertoire. Sam Raine has worked wonders with the Corps and the Fairies in The Dream were sensational. Sam is great. It was a good end to the season.
2015-2016シーズンでは初演後50年になるロミオとジュリエットでたくさんのデビューがあった。この土曜日のマチネは特別で、マシュー・ボールとサスミン・ナグディがデビューした。ケヴィンはこの2人をオネーギンに出演させたが、とてもいい反応を見せたのでロミオとジュリエットにキャスティングした。フランチェスカ・ヘイワードもデビューした。「コネクトーム」とウェインが振付を変えた「レイブンガール」も再演した。ベアトリス・シックス-ブルネルが「レイブンガール」にデビューした
At the start of this last season there were a lot of debuts in Romeo and Juliet and it was 50 years since it's opening. The Saturday matinee is a special event for a debut, and so it was for Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghdi. Kevin had put them together in Onegin and they had gelled, hence the Romeo casting. Francesca Hayward also had a debut. Connectome came back and Raven Girl too with alterations by Wayne. Beatriz Stix-Brunell made a wonderful debut in the latter.
「ヴィセラ」「牧神の午後」「チャイコフスキーパドドゥ」「カルメン」のクアトロビルではカルメンへの批評はカルロスを祝福する内容で、カルメンは彼がやりたかった作品だった。時にこのような機会を作ることも大切だ。カルロスはロールモデルでそれに値する。シテェドリンのカルメンスイートが元々使われていたが、ところどころ変更になり、ビゼーの曲がベースのものをマーティン・イェーツが指揮した
For the quad bill (Viscera, Afternoon of a Faun, Tchaikovsky Pas de deux, Carmen), Carmen had its detractors but it was a celebration of Carlos, and it is what he wanted to do. It is important sometimes to give people that space. Carlos is a role model and he deserved it. Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite was originally going to be used but because of some other changes they had to change and Martin Yates orchestrated, based on Bizet.
Christopher Carr had never before staged Two Pigeons, and he had to set it on the bigger stage. You had to be stony hearted not to like it. Whenever he speaks to students at the school they always talk about Two Pigeons. Kevin was delighted with how fresh it came out. The dancers weren't sure but grew to love it. There is lots of corps de ballet work and soloist roles to get their teeth into.
Kevin asked which was the best combination with Two Pigeons, Rhapsody or Monotones? Members were divided in their opinions. Kevin thanked the Ballet Association for helping bring back the original staging of Rhapsody, the return to the simple costumes was in harmony with the clear lines on the backdrop. He is pleased it is back in the repertoire and it won't be 30 years before it returns.
Nutcracker in one big block is not great for the fans. It's a tough time, lots of matinees and dancers get sick at this time of year. The shows met a high standard and they worked on it all the way through. Some people said they were “even enjoying the Waltz of the Flowers” this time round.
The Company does Giselle so well. There were fabulous debuts, Akane Takeda was particularly special. Kevin thought she looked like a Giselle in waiting when he saw her perform Moyna/Zulma in the last run. Sarah, Lauren and Nela had a great go as they hadn't had many chances before.
The next triple (After the Rain, Strapless, Within the Golden Hour) was to celebrate what Christopher Wheeldon is to the Company and the dance world. Kevin is not keen on bringing in too many works from other companies but it was appropriate on this occasion. Both casts for After the Rain were great and Golden Hour is a joy. They did work on the costumes of the latter but were sensitive as the designer had passed away. The projections now work well. For Strapless Kevin wanted to see a narrative in a short time scale like Sir Fred achieved with The Dream and A Month in the Country, condensing a whole story down. Both Chris and Kevin have the same ideas about how to enhance it next time. It's important to work on it, you can't just sit down and say oh well that was it.
Frankenstein is a bold and ambitious work. Liam believes in, and loves classical ballet and created it in that idiom. Liam is very clear how he wanted to present it, but of course there will be revisions. Liam wouldn't feel honest to do it in a different way. John McFarlane created some great designs, the music works well, it is a tough score to play. When you think about Winter's Tale, Woolf Works and Frankenstein, how extraordinary it is to have three very different ballets to cater to a lot of different tastes! Every night at Frankenstein there has been a fantastic response from the audiences and he's not just saying it because the critics didn't like it. It is a fact, if you're there, people last night were on their feet cheering. And it is sold out.
As Wayne says, no one is doing these things lightly, the choreographer, the dancers, and the artistic director. Kevin believes that Liam tells the story very well and clearly, there may be other things which may need to be changed. Finding a dramaturg that can work well with the choreographer is not easy. Experience in the theatre is already there, for example John MacFarlane, there are 1,000 people working there. Dramaturgs don't always work.
Next is The Invitation, it will be fascinating to see. Wayne has a cast of men, it will be wonderful to see them tearing across the stage. He really wants to see the Company do The Invitation again, Kevin was never in it but it was one of his brother Michael's very first roles with Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet. It is a strong work with good roles for people, something Zenaida can make her own. Kevin apologised about the casting but he wanted to see how it fitted in the studio first.
Kevin is bringing back MacMillan's Anastasia next season, but is also thinking about Judas Tree, Danses Concertantes. Valley of Shadows is being considered, it may be reworked according to Kenneth's suggestions or as the original.
Finally Kevin talked about how hard it is to sort out the casting. And he is thinking that they need to do something a bit lighter for the next new productions.
David thanked Kevin for coming to talk and for the privilege of members attending the rehearsal of The Invitation that morning. Kevin thanked the Association for their support and hoped it would be possible to provide something similar next season despite building works.
Report written by Chris Scott, edited by Kevin O’Hare and David Bain ©The Ballet Association 2016