Word: cleopatra
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...story of Cleopatra seems tailor-made for the ballet, with its epic themes of lust, love, empire, political conspiracy and tragedy. Created in conjunction with the Houston Ballet and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Cleopatra does not shy away from any of these large themes. Choreographer Ben Stevenson, of the Houston Ballet, brings to the production much of the dramatic flair that characterized his staging of Dracula in Boston last spring, but Cleopatra ultimately rests on the skill of its dancers, and as such emerges as the superior production...
...ballet opens with Cleopatra, danced by Adriana Suarez, preparing for the new day in her lush bed chamber. Suarez seems to grow in her role as she acquires the successive accoutrements of royalty-golden bustier, jeweled headpiece and a robe that literally descends from the rafters. Suarez's majesty is partially due to her elevated status, as she spends a large part of the ballet literally above the other dancers on a variety of elaborately constructed thrones. But despite the outward trappings of royalty and Suarez's apparent effort, her performance lacks the conviction necessary to make one believe that...
...Kyra Strasberg provides a well-executed counterpoint to Suarez's studied coolness in her emotive portrayal of Caesar's spurned wife, Calpurnia. Laszlo Berdo's Caesar remians stoic throughout the first act, which makes Cleopatra's seduction of him all the more impressive...
...Yanowsky's Marc Antony produced audible gasps from the audience. Stevenson's choreography provides ample room for these two dancers, as well as the male members of the corps de ballet, to exhibit their considerable talent. The highlight of the ballet comes when the dancers celebrate the arrival of Cleopatra in Rome, and the male dancers achieve a balance of athleticism and lyricism that is truly remarkable...
...Dracula, is grand in scale and presentation. Boyd's showstopper in this production is a golden barge. The barge, complete with oarsmen, morphs into a magnificent, multi-colored throne invoking Ra, the Egyptian God of the Sun. Boyd chose to enhance the dichotomy between the Egypt of Cleopatra-light, airy and feminine-and the Rome of Caesar, which is cold, stoic and masculine. The music, composed by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov and arranged by John Lanchberry, echoes these themes as well...