Thoughts 7/6/09

So after pretty much bagging Billy Elliot a lot, I decided to have a look at some of the productions done in other country's. 

I've since come to the conclusion that perhaps Billy Elliot the Musical is not as bad as I thought it was, but rather the kid that we got who played Billy Elliot was just crap and ruined any chance of me liking the musical. 

So sorry Billy Elliot fans, I guess it was just the kid that ruined it. 

Soft self-portrait with grilled bacon, by Salvador Dali

On another note, I'm looking forward to the Winter Masterpieces at the National Gallery of Victoria this year, as it is a Salvador Dali Exhibition. 

Salvador Dali is probably one of, if not my favourite artist. His surrealist paintings along with interesting films, that once made a cameo in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (highly recommend anyone to see this film) are both intriguing and characteristic of 20th century surrealism. 

The exhibition, entitled 'Liquid Desire' opens on 13 June and runs until 4 October. It contains some of his most well known paintings, including "The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory" (well known to most as melting clocks). The exhibition includes not only his paintings, but also photography, films, sculptures and more. 

The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, by Salvador Dali

Also, right now there are  movies I'm looking forward to/ want to see. 

1. Fanboys:

On at ACMI, sounds hilarious, nothing beats a bunch of nerds who work at a comic book store trying to break into George Lucas's ranch to get a sneak peak at the new star wars. 

2. Adventureland:

Supposed to be quite good/ funny, friend recommended it, I think i'll go and see it. 

3. Coraline:

I know it doesn't come out until August, but I cannot wait for the new stop motion animation film by Henry Sellick (Nightmare Before Christmas)

Anywho, those are my thoughts for the moment,

Em

Nutcracker: The Story of Clara

So last night I went to see 'Nutcracker: The Story of Clara' performed by the Australian Ballet Company. 

I very much enjoyed this adaptation of the Nutcracker. Quite different to the original story, this Nutcracker (created by Graeme Murphy) was set in 1950's Australia and followed Clara (Marilyn Jones), an ex-patriot Russian Ballerina, living in Australia. On Christmas Eve her friends arrive to celebrate with her; however, she is stricken with hallucinations and problems (which a young doctor arrives to help her with). Once her friends have left she falls into a hallucination that returns her to her life as a young ballerina in turn of the century Russia; continuing through her lifetime until her arrival in Australia with the Russian Ballet. 

The Three Clara's (from left, Amy Hargreaves, Rachel Rawlins, Ai-Gul Gaisina)

The beginning of the Ballet was somewhat slow and devoid of much real dancing, mostly a take on old people dancing drunkenly on Christmas Eve. Although comical, it lacked enough dancing to keep me completely interested. By the time Clara had entered into her hallucination; however, it became a display of incredible dancing talent and interesting story progression. As she first enters into her hallucination she is attacked by a troop of ninja rats, designed to appear similar to Cossacks (Russian Police). This is an adaptation from the original story, as Clara is attacked by rats and her toy soldier comes to save her. In this story it is her Army Officer lover who saves her from the rats. A combination of acrobatics, beautiful lighting and a poignant reuniting of the Officer with Young Clara, this scene paved the way for fantastic show. Although by this point, we were one scene away from the end of Act I, leading me to believe that Act I was predominantly slow, with a strong ending. 

The fake Ballet Russes

Act II not only demonstrated the level of dancing that we had paid to see, but also contained some of Tchaikovsky's most well known songs from the Nutcracker Suite. At times though, I was a little disappointed that in some of my favourite dances they did not exhibit much actual dancing, such as the chinese dance, a moderate paced bright song merely containing the majority of the company performing tai chi; and the Russian Dance (Trepak) did not really begin dancing until half way through and lacked the Cossack jumps that I had expected to accompany it. 

Rachel Rawlins and Kevin Jackson as Young Clara and the Officer

These factors aside, the dancing was, for the most part, amazing. We were privileged enough to have Danielle Rowe, one of the upcoming prima ballerina's in the Australian Ballet, perform as the younger Clara. I can absolutely understand why she is one of their best principal dancers. Every pas de deux between her and the Officer (Played by Andrew Killian) was more beautiful than the last. Her extreme flexibility and ability to maintain some of the most difficult lifts I have ever seen were nothing short of breath-taking. A special mention also was the Arabian Dance, in which about 6 or 7 of the male dancers replicated Egyptian slaves and performed an intriguing dance accompanied by a large rope to represent their shackles. This dance was so compelling, that I did not notice that there were 6 or 7 half naked men on stage until more than half way through. 

A sample of Kristian Fredrikson's Costumes for the fake Ballet Russes

The production values of the performance simply accentuated the enchanting nature of the show. Along with multitudes of changing sets, strong, powerful lighting and large scale screens to project images of Revolutionary Russia, were the spectacular costumes designed by Kristian Fredrikson. Each costume was either stunningly beautiful, or surprisingly accurate for the time period they were representing. Special mention goes to the designs for the fake Ballet Russes performances. I also have to mention the use of an amazing two way mirror. The mirror would appear as a mirror, but when Clara's older self came up to it from behind, it would no longer appear as a mirror but a window. I still cannot figure out how this effect was created, but it was nothing short of amazing. 

The Mirror effect

Here is one of the Pas de Deux's between Young Clara and the Officer (performed by Danielle Rowe and Andrew Killia at the So You Think You Can Dance Finale 2009)

'The Nutcracker: Story Of Clara' is on the State Theatre, the Arts Centre until the 18th June

Overall Opinion: Definite must see for all ballet/ dance lovers

Em

Billy Elliot

So last night I went to see Billy Elliot: The Musical, at Her Majesty's Theatre on Exhibition Street, Melbourne.

The musical was written in 2005, based on the film of the same name. Directed by Stephen Daldry (directed the film, also directed The Reader) and with music by Sir Elton John, it tells the story of a young boy (Billy) living in County Durham, England, during the Miner's strike of 1984. Trading his boxing gloves for ballet shoes, Billy dreams of becoming a dancer, with a little help from his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson. His family; however, does not approve, as they struggle to survive the strike. Billy manages to get an audition with the Royal Ballet School in London and ends up performing in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake in London (this part excluded from the musical).

An Image from the Original Movie

I was not impressed with the musical as a whole. The music was slow and boring, without a single catchy tune. I can honestly say I came out of the theatre singing songs from a different musical. Unlike the film, the story progressed without much interest, as the songs were slotted in almost forcefully. Act I was particularly slow, the only highlight being the well cast Mrs. Wilkinson (played by Genevieve Lemon) who managed to bring some comedy to the act, along with Billy's friend Michael (played by Landen Hale-Brown) who's cross dressing shenanigans and tap dancing brilliance (I was amazed that a 12 year old boy could tap dance that well) also were the only highlights of act one.

The Pas de Deux Ballet, between Billy and Older Billy

Act II was decidedly better than Act I, mostly due to the Pas de Deux ballet between Billy (played by Daniell Russel) and Older Billy (Played by Brendan Yeates). Danced to the Finale from Swan Lake, it demonstrated the kind of elegant and beautiful dance that I had expected to see from a musical about a dancing boy. I would recommend going to see the musical, only to see this dance. It was the only section where the music was somewhat interesting, and that was due to the musical storytelling genius of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The part of the second Act that irritated me the most was the exclusion of Billy's triumphant dance in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, which was entirely excluded. The fact that they decided to remove the climax of the film led to me to consider whether they ever really watched the film when adapting it to a musical.

Jackie Clune as Mrs. Wilkinson in the Broadway Production

The acting for the most part was average to say the least. Billy's dad (played by Richard Piper) and his brother Tony (played by Mike Smith) were overly angry for the role. Billy's dad is supposed to be a man who has been hurt badly by the Miner's strike and the loss of his wife; however, he came across as harsh and at some points inhumane. Tony was similar in this respect, most clearly shown when Billy receives his letter of acceptance and Tony goes off on an angry tangent after news that the strike is over is received; an unnecessary addition to the scene. Finally, Billy Elliot himself, played by Daniell Russell, had to be one of the worst actors/singers I have ever witnessed in my life, and I've worked on 5 school musicals. His County Durham accent was laboured and over-exaggerated. By comparison with the film, (of which I am a true fan) he did not capture the sweet child caught up in an angry time, nor was he able to accurately perform the jokes from the script. In the kids defence; however, he can dance very well, like I said earlier, I was amazed that a 12 year old kid could tap dance that well. That being said though, during the Pas De Deux Ballet, you couldn't take your eyes off the older Billy. It was not purely the kids fault that he didn't fit the role though, casting clearly did not consider that this boy was too small, too clean cut, too cutesey and quite frankly I did not believe when he said "just because I like ballet doesn't mean I'm a poof".

Cast of the West End Production

Finally, the production values. This was where the show redeemed itself. The sets were to say the least, amazing. With a moving spiral staircase that came up from the floor, along with rooms that slid on and off stage, walls that came down from the roof and all with delicately painted surfaces. Complementing this was a lighting design that was beautiful at the very least. This was particularly noticeable during the Pas De Deux Ballet, as the combination of billows of smoke along with white light from stage left and two delicately placed specials meant that the elegance of the ballet was demonstrated perfectly. The addition of special effects such as snow falling on stage and a giant screen projecting the scenes from the Miner's strike to set up the background of the story, were also a delightful touch.

To put it simply, bad acting, bad songs, good dancing, good production values, I wouldn't recommend going to see it.


Here is the Pas de Deux Ballet from the West End Production

Tonight I'm going to see 'The Nutcracker: The Story of Clara" performed by the Australian Ballet at the Arts Centre. I am sure this will be a much more enjoyable night.

Em