Theatre Thursdays: Swan Lake

A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to see ballet classic Swan Lake performed by my hometown company, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Swan Lake is easily one of the most well-known ballet stories, with adaptations including animated childhood favorite The Swan Princess, the decidedly not-for-children film Black Swan, a Swan Lake anime, and a Barbie movie. I’ve even seen a live Rocky Horror Show where Frank-n-Furter danced Odette’s swan choreography as he died, and you’ve almost certainly heard a snippet of Tchaikovsky’s score at some point in your life.

I have trouble critiquing particular ballet performances because I’m not an expert or a dancer myself; I can’t look at a jump or watch a pas-de-deux and say how great or terrible the form was. It’s similar to watching the Olympics: you sit there entranced by the miracle that a human body can do any of that stuff—while a professional critic commentates on the myriad of errors the athletes have just made. PBT’s performance was stunning; the costumes were gorgeous and the dancers were amazing. The sets were a bit lackluster, but all in all, it was a tremendous spectacle. So while I can’t really talk about the specifics of this performance, I can talk about the story.

Theatre Thursdays: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Moulin Rouge

Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to the ballet. The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre always puts on a stunning performance technically, and this evening was no different; usually when I review their shows I’m forced to comment on the plot of the show itself rather than the performers. (Let’s face it—I’m no ballerina, so I don’t feel qualified to say anything besides “Those jumps and lifts and spins were fantastic!”)

Theatre Thursdays: Giselle

A few weekends ago I had the chance to see the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of Giselle, and, before I say anything else, let me say that it was beautifully done, from the dancing to the costumes to the music from the orchestra.  I never have any complaints on those fronts as far as the PBT is concerned.

But I would like to address a few things about the ballet that left me wanting. First of all, although the part of Giselle is apparently a prized role in the ballet community, I don’t think that the character of Giselle is particularly strong.