It’s a happy week for ballet fans. Both of the major companies performing side-by-side at Lincoln Center, New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, are offering works in which mythical or fantastical woodland creatures are prominent. They beguile, deceive or play pranks upon the hapless mortals that fall under their spell.
George Balanchine’s 1962 Midsummer Night’s Dream, which brings NYCB’s spring season to a close, is one of the most dramatically astute narrative ballets you will find anywhere. Each character is distinctively portrayed through movement, from the hilariously misguided pairs of lovers whose attractions keep shifting thanks to Puck’s mischievousness; to the proud, non-nonsense Queen of the Amazons, who bounds onstage with assertive bravura boldness; to the quicksilver Puck, such a creature of the air that he takes flight at the ballet’s conclusion. Balanchine was clearly inspired by Felix Mendelssohn’s shimmering melodies and rhythmic propulsion, which assist in his concise, witty presentation of the drama.
The ballet, a perennial favorite, returns after three years’ absence, as an appropriate way to greet the arrival of the solstice. In Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king whose contretemps is a major element in the tale, Balanchine fashioned two rich, challenging roles. Titania is traditionally played by a tall ballerina, and the company is fielding two ideal interpreters. Maria Kowrowski has already proven herself in the role, which suits her expansive phrasing and inspired comedic gifts. New to the role this week is Teresa Reichlen whose creamy amplitude and elegant bearing make one eager to see her in the part. The role of Oberon requires a commanding stage presence as well as considerable virtuoso chops; the ground-skimming, devastatingly fleet choreography for his Scherzo is one of the repertory’s great set pieces.
Created 126 years earlier, La Sylphide, which ABT performs through Saturday, is a decidedly old world ballet, but one with considerable charms, surprisingly vibrant music, and a story that no true Romantic can resist. In this Danish masterpiece by August Burnonville, the conflicted Scotsman James abandons the cozy domesticity promised by his fetching but insipid fiancée to pursue an airy, deliquescent Sylph who embodies all the mystery and danger of the unknown. The ballet’s charms include a robust, intricate reel that brims with communal celebration. Lured away from that comfortable world, James encounters the stunning, interlacing patterns of the gauzy sisterhood of sylphs who inhabit a woodland paradise.
ABT is fielding four ballerinas this week as the Sylph: three celebrated Russians and the notable South Korean Hee Seo, who makes her debut in the role Saturday afternoon. As James, you can’t go wrong with wither of the two dashing young Americans who share the role this weekend: David Hallberg and Cory Stearns.
As an added bonus, both ballets include charming roles for children. Six of them weave their way into the reel of La Sylphide, while seemingly dozens of kids portray the adorable bugs and sprites that populate the woods in which the action of Midsummer Night’s Dream unfolds.
