Return to AARO
This was to be the first time I would view the show from front and center. Well, the balcony right, but at least it wasn't ON stage.
A brief synopsis of the story is supplied in the program. The story is placed in a small village in Poland and involves two young lovers about to be wed; Swanilda and Franz. She suspects her fiancee of being secretly in love with the beautiful and mysterious Coppelia who turns out to be a doll created by Dr. Coppelius, a toy maker.
The music for Coppelia, Delibes composition from the late 1800's, is beautiful and moving. The music drives the motions for me. That is why the first couple of scenes are so frustrating for me. There were times when the music swelled and expected more explosive movements from the dancers. Michael Uthoff, BAZ Artistic Director and Coppelia choreographer, begins this tale with dancing in the square, celebrating the wedding to be. The colorful costumes of the townspeople delight, but the dance steps are noticeably frantic and some dancers could not keep in step with the others. It might have helped if they had more room. They could have extended the playing area to the under-used apron.
Once the gypsies arrived, the dance flowed. It could well be opening night jitters and the company just had some trouble finding their groove. Swanilda's Wheat Dance solo by Gia Firicano was breathtaking. Her grace and elegance appeared effortless during her spilt leaps and numerous pirouettes. In fact, Gia was the brightest star of the show. From her facial expression to her graceful movements, she lived and breathed her character. The movements were not something to perform, but something she lived.
Andrew Needhammer did a wonderful job as Franz and showed great power and strength in his moves. He did feel the need to "announce" every pirouette by stopping to spot up which was distracting. He's facial expressions while interacting with Dr. C were quite nice. Veteran Miguel Garcia was in the skull-capped role of the Doctor and was, once again, flawless. Unfortunately, there wasn't for him to show off. His role was more acting than dance.
The second acted belonged to Yin-Li. Uthoff created a wonderful and marathon role for Coppelia as doll and as woman. Her nearly 20 minute solo was magnificent. While Yin-Li was mechanically error-free and her child-like mischievous was cute, the transformation scene didn't seem as dramatic I have seen in the past. It might very well be that because I on stage and closer to the actor, I was able to see the transitions more brilliantly.
Scene 2 of the Second Act. The May pole. I had hoped this mess had been able to get straightened out by now. The horror that is the May pole reemerged. I was one of the stagehands that would lug the heavy pole to three dancers as they had the impossible task of carrying the clunkly thing onstage AND trying to keep the ribbons untangled before the dancers grabbed them. I remember watching Marcelo giggling and the crew backstage giggling under our breathes at the disaster on stage. And this year, while only one ribbon appeared out of place, I remember Marcelo. Unfortunately, coming at the end the show, the May pole needs to be perfect. Nobody was watching the dancers. Well, we did watch the three onstage that were trying to untangle the mess, but I'm sure that is not what Uthoff had in mind.
Despite my nit-picking, I highly recommend Coppelia for the entire family. The costumes, scenery, and lighting make for a comparable theatrical spectacle as Beauty and the Beast but with Coppelia you receive much more depth. This story of love lost and love reborn is beautifully portrayed by the entire company.
Return to AARO