TE EXCLUSIVE: Susan Stroman ballet Double Feature is a triumph
Oscar E Moore from the rear mezzanine for Talk Entertainment.com
In a double bill ballet, aptly named DOUBLE FEATURE, Susan Stroman, multiple Tony Award winner for her direction and choreography of Broadway musicals has created her first full length ballet for the New York City Ballet Company. Premiering in January 2004, it is an absolute triumph. A nostalgic, audience pleasing, laugh out loud silent movie storytelling treatment of The Blue Necklace and Makin’ Whoopee - destined to become a classic repertory piece at The City Ballet along with The Nutcracker. Bring your kids, your parents your friends – anyone and everyone will love this DOUBLE FEATURE.
Susan Stroman is a master of her craft here. Not only has she created two wonderful dance pieces but she has created the libretto along with Glen Kelly – who has done the magnificent music arrangements. He has tailored the tunes of Irving Berlin in The Blue Necklace and those of Walter Donaldson in Makin’ Whoopee to fit the story line to a tee. It is a marriage made in musical and dance heaven, dressed to the nines by William Ivy Long in silent movie shades of black and white and gray, ash, taupe and lots of sparkles for some show biz Broadway glitz. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of congratulating him in person after Saturday’s matinee performance. Robin Wagner is responsible for the delicious sets which include a screen where dialogue is projected for The Blue Necklace – “a thrilling melodrama of a great actress and the daughter she left behind” – A Cinderella variation with a twist of Stroman and Makin’ Whoopee – “a comic dash to riches” – an homage to Buster Keaton and Mac Sennett. Guest conductor – a petite and energetic Clotilde Otranto - had the orchestrations by Doug Besterman and Danny Troob sounding lush and majestic under her baton.
Adding to the magical mayhem are the dancers. And a dog. A very funny dog with personality plus. Of course he is black and white – fitting in perfectly with the silent movie theme. But he cannot upstage the dancers who are incredibly graceful, athletic storytellers with boundless energy and finesse. The finale of Makin’ Whoopee has the wonderfully spry Tom Gold being chased by a gaggle of greedy would be brides – men and women (Yes Sir! That’s My Baby) that is embedded in my memory forever. I can’t wait to see it again. As his three chums – Amar Ramasar, Robert Fairchild and Arch Higgins are comic delights. As the girl Jimmie (Tom Gold) can’t ever find the right time to pop the question to – Tiler Peck is perfect either en pointe or tapping her toe impatiently.
Maria Kowroski, as the vaudevillian Dorothy Brooks, who has to abandon her daughter only to become a star in The Blue Necklace, dances the role beautifully. As the wicked step mother - Savannah Lowery’s characterization is as on target as her dancing. What is so wonderfully inventive is that we have two sets of daughters – all gifted dancers. Young Mabel (the abandoned – Skyla Shreter) and Young Florence (the step sister – Clara Ruf-Muldonado) and their grown up counter parts – Mabel (Sterling Hyltin) and Florence (Megan Fairchild) giving Stroman all sorts of comic situations to explore and a purely beautiful pas de deux between star mother and re-discovered daughter. There is a dream sequence with Mabel’s idol Billy Randolph – a terrific Benjamin Millepied and, of course, a happy ending. Not only had Dorothy Brooks given her daughter a gift of the blue necklace but she had also given her “the gift of dance”. Thank you Susan Stroman for giving us all your gift of dance.
02-06-08
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