Slowly getting caught up on all of my March Theatrical adventures here on the blog. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet offered this beautiful piece from choreographer Peter Quanz and danced by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens of Montreal as an "extra" for their season, and I jumped at the chance. I'm a huge fan of Quanz and was eager for the chance to see a full length work from the choreographer.
Based on the lives of French sculptors Rodin and Claudel, the piece utilized the corps as molding clay, moving them into varying shapes and locations reminiscent of the sculptures by each artist. The sculptures, however, also had the quality of being all-seeing - they bore witness to both the successes and failures of each artist, and ultimately passed judgment when Claudel was committed.
The opening moments of the story were a touch unclear; what was actually a brotherly relationship came across as a potential lover, and the story was perhaps a bit muddy as a result of too many characters in the first group scene. That said, the very opening was absolutely stunning, and the use of space, with living backgrounds observing the actions of the two protagonists was fantastic, and the story became more clear as it focused on the pair.
Beautiful work - see it if you ever get the chance!
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
The Secret Annex by Alix Sobler - MTC Warehouse
First I must apologize for the tardiness of this post; I saw the performance nearly a month ago! But alas my intense schedule in March, coupled with the Blogger app's reluctance to save the previously written post, conspired to set me back.
This was a world premiere of the new play by Sobler, which begins with the question of what might have happened to Anne Frank's diaries had she not been killed in the holocaust, but rather survived the war in the attic, then emigrated to Brooklyn. We see Anne, Margot and Peter as young-ish adults with jobs, houses, responsibilities. Margot is engaged, Peter has a sweetheart but continues to be caught on Anne, and Anne, still the proud owner of her diaries, is intent on having them published. In the early scenes, the connection between the 3 from the attic is clearly created, and as we see new "modern" characters introduced in the form of Anne's potential publisher and her boss-turned-husband we see the difference this solitude has made in their ability to encounter the world.
Frustratingly, the text is a bit heavy handed and just a little repetitive with Anne's constant "do you remember the attic" queries to everyone around her. We can see, rather than be told about, Anne's obsession with informing about the past while confronted with a 1950s New York City that just wants to keep rushing forward. The new characters are uneven; Michael, Anne's husband comes across as more than just a little creepy. In contrast, the publisher is every inch the image of the 1950's career woman, bringing us an image of what Anne might have been under different circumstances.
The performances were strong, and ably guided by Heidi Malazdrewicz making her directorial debut for MTC, and Charlotte Dean's design of the production was stunning.
This was a world premiere of the new play by Sobler, which begins with the question of what might have happened to Anne Frank's diaries had she not been killed in the holocaust, but rather survived the war in the attic, then emigrated to Brooklyn. We see Anne, Margot and Peter as young-ish adults with jobs, houses, responsibilities. Margot is engaged, Peter has a sweetheart but continues to be caught on Anne, and Anne, still the proud owner of her diaries, is intent on having them published. In the early scenes, the connection between the 3 from the attic is clearly created, and as we see new "modern" characters introduced in the form of Anne's potential publisher and her boss-turned-husband we see the difference this solitude has made in their ability to encounter the world.
Frustratingly, the text is a bit heavy handed and just a little repetitive with Anne's constant "do you remember the attic" queries to everyone around her. We can see, rather than be told about, Anne's obsession with informing about the past while confronted with a 1950s New York City that just wants to keep rushing forward. The new characters are uneven; Michael, Anne's husband comes across as more than just a little creepy. In contrast, the publisher is every inch the image of the 1950's career woman, bringing us an image of what Anne might have been under different circumstances.
The performances were strong, and ably guided by Heidi Malazdrewicz making her directorial debut for MTC, and Charlotte Dean's design of the production was stunning.
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