Eva Kistrup

Two Ways to Skin a Cat

 

Christopher Wheeldon:

“Alice”

Royal Danish Ballet

The Old Stage

December 14 & 16, 2016

The Christmas run of “Alice” has proved to be a big and - not only commercial - success for the Royal Danish Ballet. Weekends performances attracts families and grown-ups fill evening performances during the week. Everything indicates that the production will match a run of “The Nutcracker” measured in earnings and in artistic value.

This year RDB is in competition with two productions of “The Nutcracker”, neither on the level of an RDB production, but nevertheless they do take a big share of the family audience available. However, the RDB managed to keep their audience.

On December 14, I revisited the premiere cast, and can happily conclude that during the first weeks on the run, the first cast had kept developing to such a high degree that the weaker parts of the ballet gains more momentum, humor and coherence.

Breaking News Alexander Bozinoff is appointed soloist at royal Danish Ballet

Earlier today, Nikolaj Hübbe appointed Alexander Bozinoff to soloist. Canadian educated Bozinoff has been a member of RDB corps since 2011. The appointment follows a very fine performance as the white rabbit in Christopher Wheeldon's "Alice".

Alexander Bozinoff has also danced the prince in "The Nutcracker", Mercurtio and Benvolio in John Neumeier's "Romeo and Juliet" as well as Benno and the Jester in Silja Schandorff and Nikolaj Hübbe's "Swan Lake" and as Gurn in the new production of "La Sylphide".

This is the fourth time Nikolaj Hübbe promotes a male soloist in less than a year. Jon Axel Fransson, Andreas Kaas and Sebastian Haynes gained the honors earlier this season.

 

Photo by Natasha Rydwald. Copyright (c) Royal Danish Ballet

Revisiting Alice

 

Christopher Wheeldon:

”Alice”                                                                                                                                                       

Royal Danish Ballet

The Old Stage                                                                          

December 7, 2016

Now on my third visit to the Christmas run of “Alice”, the productions strengths and weaknesses becomes clearer. The production comes across as a well-oiled machine where the RDB dancers apparently effortless changes roles and costumes. Some dancers are juggling four to five different roles with no sign of panic or doubt. The complex décor keeps functioning with unbelievable ease. However, it cannot be disguised that as the performance keeps running, especially the last acts would benefit from some editing and cuts.

Some divertissements seem to go on forever. Both the flowerganza and the jeux de cartes overstay their welcome. In a league of its own is the Indian/drugs/mushroom mix-up with the caterpillar. It looks like the creative team has concluded that all these elements would present the best combo. Instead, it trivialize the original masterpiece.

Turning Nonsense into Narrative

 

Christopher Wheeldon:

”Alice”

The Royal Danish Ballet

December 3 & 4 2016

The Royal Theatre

The Old Stage

 

By choosing Christopher Wheeldon’s adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” as this – and probably – several upcoming seasons’ family Christmas experience, Nikolaj Hübbe has gained an innovative production with outstanding design values that really display the quality of the famed costume and technical departments of the RDB.

The production also caters for the Danish tradition for character dancing and even the tiniest hedgehog delivers a top-notch performance.

 

However, the adaptation fails on some of the most important elements. Wheeldon’s insistence on making an “Alice” that instead of focusing on the core material also delivers every trim of a traditional romantic ballet and follow the unwritten rule that everything in a fantasy must be rooted in reality. By not daring to defy the conventions, this “Alice” stops short of being the masterpiece it could have been.