Giselle...ABT at the Met

[skynyc]

(Long and convoluted because I have had some gin tonight.)

 

What to sub-title this post...

A. What is she thinking?

B. This story should not work...where are the feminists?

C. Depends = doomed.

D. Jethro at the ballet

 

Okay, so I go to the ballet tonight with Henry, a dear friend whose partner is NOT a fan. (Lucky me.) I haven't been to the ballet since my restraining order from Patrick Bissell in the 80s.

 

The requisite gongs are going off and I half expect to encounter Cinderella dashing down the stairs as we make our way up.

Following Henry as we walk down the aisle...8th row, 5th row, 3rd row...OMG, we are in the center of the FIRST row of the Dress Circle...Incredible seats.....Who are you Henry???? And have you been a subscriber since Pavlova was dancing?????

 

No chance to look at the program. I don't know much about Giselle...sorry, spoilers coming...other than it's not the one with the doll (Coppelia) or the bird (Swan Lake).

 

Curtain rises.

Cute young man enters, leaves flowers at a doorway and retreats. But he's in baggy shorts and they're not white flowers...uh-oh.

Different young man enters. He doesn't have flowers, but he's hot. He's just in tights. Ass of death....makes other guy look like he was in Depends. THIS guy must be our hero.

 

Young girl emerges...she sees our hero. She's never seen him before...but immediately knows that "THIS IS THE ONE." They dance.

First boy comes out. Obviously, this is Ducky...he's loved her since they both were children...but she only has eyes for Andrew McCarthy.

Ducky warns heroine against Andrew...but she won't listen. She makes vague gesture that her heart is weak...but she's dancing like one of the hippos in Fantasia, so that must be theatrics....

 

Suddenly rich noblewoman appears. (There are two Russian Wolfhounds on stage...to indicate that the upper class is present.)

Heroine...(we'll call her Giselle since that's the name of the ballet)...dances for noblewoman, and so does Andrew. No one seems to recognize Andrew. Things must be okay.

 

But no!!!!! Ducky shows up (in his Depends) and hands Andrew his sword, which had been carefully hidden up to this point. Instantly, everyone knows Andrew. They also know that Andrew is connected to rich noblewoman.

After a short moment of posturing Ducky stands aside allowing Giselle to take center stage. She dances.

 

And she dies.

 

Yes, you read that correctly. She DIES!!!!

Previous heart gesture was foreshadowing. Curtain falls.

 

WHAT?!?!?!?

I know these characters (and the dancers portraying them) have names, but I am too distraught to look at my program. I need a drink.

What is wrong with this girl???? Ducky loved her. <quiet sob>

 

Act II.

Lights go down.

Music comes up...it's very somber...I whisper to Henry "This is NOT going to turn out well, is it?" Sadly because of the gin, several folks around me hear, and smile. Man behind me gives me encouraging shoulder squeeze. Not one remonstration...just sympathy. (They are thinking "This poor rube...".)

 

Curtain rises and sure enough, we're in a graveyard. Poor Ducky...he's planting a cross on Giselle's grave. (Although why he is doing it at midnight is beyond me.)

 

----And folks...this is when the enchantment starts to happen.----

 

Suddenly the stage is filled with girls in white. The wilis.

This must be where the phrase "That gives me the willies" comes from.

Let's just say that the men in this community must be real shits, because apparently the wilis are jilted maidens...and there are a LOT of them...and these girls are out for blood.

 

Andrew shows up also, with WHITE flowers (A-HA), but there's enough fog, etc...that he doesn't bump into Ducky.

(Just what is the appeal of a graveyard at midnight???)

 

The corps de ballet is AMAZING. They really work their magic. I was riveted by the precision.

When the head wili...she must have been jilted by someone really important, but even so she is carrying a bare stick...shows up, it just is stunning.

 

Ducky comes back...and poor Ducky, the wilis dance him to death. (Even though his love was true, he was wearing the Depends, so he had to go.)

 

Andrew comes back.

 

Ghost of Giselle shows up and they dance. First her. Then him. Then together. It's pretty spectacular. (The wilis stand in two perfect lines, on point, at the side and watch.) It's a long pas de deux, but the music is glorious...a harp and clarinet solo. REALLY. It's beautiful. And when I look down, the clarinetist is practically dancing as much as Giselle. She knows it's her moment to shine also.

Audience is mesmerized.

 

But Andrew is looking fatigued. (Not surprisingly--I am tired just watching him....)

Uh-oh...the wilis are going to dance him to death just like Ducky.

 

Finally Giselle manages to convince head wili that white flowers are better than bare stick...and Andrew, although exhausted, gets to live. He lies down on Giselle's grave as she sinks into the fog.

CURTAIN.

 

Madness abounds from the audience...and I am right there with them.

This was amazing.

 

The music is lovely...(and let me tell you, I recognized some of it from old Warner Brothers cartoons..."Hmmm, didn't Elmer Fudd do some farming to this melody?")

 

The dancing was GORGEOUS. The leads were wonderful, (Xiomara Reyes as Giselle, Jared Matthews as Andrew McCarthy...(who is listed as Count Albrecht in the program,) Patrick Ogle is Ducky...(Hilarion, although there's nothing hilarious about poor Ducky) and Amy Watson is the head Wili. Almost most of all, I loved the eighteen women who made up the corps, the lines were stunning, and listening to their toe shoes patter on the stage, like rain on a tin roof, was wonderful.

 

The music dates back to 1841...not a typo: 1841. The program says that Giselle is oldest continually-performed ballet.

 

This was a wonderful re-entry into the world of dance. From the story, (poor Ducky) to the athleticism of Ms. Reyes and Mr. Matthews, I was rapt. If and when I ever get another job, I will be seeing more ballet.

 

Giselle plays at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center thru July 21st. Tickets are available for as little as $54, and I bet they're at the Lincoln Center half price booth.

Go! Go! Go!

[Frankly Rich]

She dies? And now I can never see this! Oh no! Spoiled for life. Gosh, I wish I went for the dancing!

[+ quoththeraven]

Thanks for the review, skynyc. I love Giselle. The plot is a little more coherent than your summary, though, as you've probably discovered if you've had a chance to read the program.

 

For more information, see the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselle

 

Also, "it's not the one with the doll (Coppelia) or the bird (Swan Lake)" -- priceless. Actually, there's more than one bird in Swan Lake. There's a whole flock of them.

[dcguy20]

Giselle is my favorite ballet. I was there Saturday night. I was always under the impression that Giselle and Albrecht have already met. The score to this is absolutely gorgeous and find myself listening to it quite frequently. YouTube has many clips from this ballet.