Swan Lake - Don't Miss It!

I have been going to the New Zealand Ballet for the last 30 years and can confidently say that this production of Swan Lake is their best ever. Coming from a ballet family I consider myself an amateur armchair critic and must admit that I have often been a harsh judge of home-grown NZ ballet. I have been too indulged by frequent visits to the Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. I’ve seen the big guns in tutus and know how to spot a perfect pirouette when I see one.

Last night was pure classicism; true to ballet’s exacting technique without a modern interpretation in sight. Whilst I appreciate the need to extend a company repertoire to include more modern pieces, or contemporary interpretations of the old, good ballet comes down to tutus, beauty, technique and story: something the RNZB achieved with honours.

And that is why I applauded with aplomb at the opening night of Swan Lake, starring Lisa-Maree Cullum—a Kiwi export who has been the Principal Dancer with Bayerisches Staatsballet in Germany for over a decade, and Roman Lazik. I used to watch Lisa dance when she was a little girl in Tauranga; winning every competition with blinding exactitude and carting home so many trophies she probably had to take out a separate storage unit. And just to give you context, my mother was Lisa-Maree’s mother’s ballet teacher (does that show my age?). We go back. Waaaaaaaaaaaay back.

The RNZB invited back two ex-pat New Zealand superstars to take the lead role of Odette in what has to be ballet’s most tragic and spectacular love story. Lisa shares the spotlight by alternating performances with another Kiwi export, Gaylene Cummerfield and her husband Matthew Lawrence as Prince Siegfried.

As the curtain opens on the celebrations of Siegfried’s 21st the first impression was that the costuming was startlingly decadent – almost reminiscent of my favourite Royal Ballet production with Natalia Markarova and Anthony Dowell which I have watched almost 100 times on video over the years. Not only was the costuming as elaborate and beautiful, but the skill of Roman Lazik (Germany) had the same elongated virtuosity style as Dowell—if not more so.

Act two is renowned for its architectural choreography and mystical lighting and last night did not disappoint. It was Degas in action.

I remember a previous production where the lithe little swans were replaced by hairy men in feathered pants which entirely destroyed the beauty and magic of what Reisinger, Petipa and Ivanov had perfected in their original design. I was half in dread that Gary Harris would make the same mistake by trying to put his own signature on the dance. Thankfully, he listened to common sense to not fix what’s not broken. He stuck true to form and the result was magic.

Act three had a mild disappointment where the pleading Odette was never seen trying to warn the Prince from the castle window; it’s only a small point but important to the story. Some of the choreography had changed ever so slightly; the fiery Neapolitan pas de deux had been watered down; and the French pas de quatre had been replaced with a Spanish pas de trios. These were minor details that didn’t detract at all from the overall effect. Baron Von Rothbart was still evil, Odette’s 32 fouettes (or should I say 30 as she was slightly behind time) were great, the princesses who wanted to marry the prince were all spurned and left single with not enough men to go around (hey, it’s a modern love story after all – not much has changed in 300 years of storytelling) and it all ends horribly.

Act four is the climax – punctuated by Tchaikovsky’s incredibly emotional score. The lovers now realise that the vow Siegfried made to Odile seals Odette’s fate to remain forever a swan. Whilst different ballet companies choose slightly different endings, Gary Harris chose an ending very close to the original: Siegfried's mistaken pledge of fidelity to Odile consigns Odette to eternal swanhood. Realizing that her last moment of humanity is at hand, Odette commits suicide by throwing herself into the lake. The Prince does so as well [Crescendo music; cue tears] to be reunited in another better world. This act of sacrifice and love breaks Von Rothbart's power, and he is destroyed.

Cullum and Lazik were truly wonderful; made even better by knowing that Lisa is a New Zealander made-good; internationally renowned and an example of the best of what we can produce.

Swan Lake is only on for a short time in the major centres so don’t delay. Call ticketek and get your seats now.

Courtesy of Emma Sutcliffe 

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