Yuri Possokhov
“Cinderella”
The Pantomime Theatre
TIVOLI Gardens
July 15 2016
Since former RDB star Peter Bo Bendixen took over the small historic Pantomime Theatre in the TIVOLI Gardens, he has proved to be the most ambitious ballet master in the company´s century long history.
On top of the daily Comedia del Arte pantomimes, the company now produces Bournonville ballets, including Bendixen’s own production of “La Sylphide”, works by moderns choreographers like Tim Rushton, Sebastian Kloborg and Tim Matiakis. There is a biannual production of Bendixen’s “Nutcracker” in the larger concert hall. This season, former Bolshoi, Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet star, Yuri Possokhov has made a version of “Cinderella” to a score by Danish and international popstar Oh Land, who started her career as a ballet child at The RDB school.
Using the Tradition
It is probably the best ballet ever created for the small company. Possokhov managed to merge a clear storytelling, innovative steps and most importantly managed to create flow on the very tiny stage. He also managed to incorporate the company’s mime tradition in the ballet. The performance I saw followed one of the old pantomimes, and it was easy to spot the similarities. In the pantomime “The unlucky Suitor”, a gigantic bullet is surgically removed from one of the character’s belly by large tangs. There is a clear line from here to the “remove a heel – cut a toe” incident in Cinderella. Another detail also brought in the amusement park tradition where guests can have their photos taken standing behind headless giant cartoon characters and thereby becoming the characters. The same trick was used with the stepsisters choosing their gala dresses.
The Ruyal Connection
As is almost the custom at the Pantomime Theatre, the Queen of Denmark was the designer for the production. Bringing the Queen in, gives the company a strong PR platform, however, Her Majesty is clearly not a professional designer, and although “Cinderella” is one of her better works, it does not supply the choreographer and the company with costumes and decors that enhances their fine work and commitment. The Queen is incapable of creating scale, depths and coherence in a production. She is very fond of bright and stark colors , but she cannot layer the production, the way a professional designer can, to ensure that the key characters becomes the natural focus point.
An example; Cinderella is brought to the ball by three blue birds. The three dancers have to do double duty as cavaliers at the ball. The queen’s solutions is to dress these dancers in stark pink wests over their bird costumes. It would not have been difficult to put them in more discrete jackets, so they would have fitted in instead of telegraphing the shortage of male dancers in the company.
There is no doubt that the Royal connection helps the company and TIVOLI on the marketing side, but unfortunately, it actually hinders the company and the clear development, it has undergone over the last years to make the impression they are capable of.
Photo:
Freja Lutzhoeft and Donovan Delis-McCarthy by Annett Ahrends. Copyright © TIVOLI
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