The sinister Act I wedding of Snow White’s father and stepmother at Milwaukee Ballet (Photo: Mark Frohna. Outrageous haute couture by Todd Edward Ivins)
Michael Pink’s reimagining of the Snow White fairy tale for Milwaukee Ballet, set to a bold, original score by Philip Feeney, is a thing of spine-tingling beauty, and an engrossing story that delivers world-class dancing with production values worthy of Broadway.
Mirror Mirror‘s quixotic glamour, visual thrills and twisted psychodrama should appeal to a wide audience, not simply to connoisseurs of ballet. Its dark aesthetic echoes that of Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty and Highland Fling, but with a commitment to classical dance that makes the most of this company’s robust technique. And while the astonishing scenic and costume design by Todd Edward Ivins and magical lighting effects by David Grill deserve special mention, they never overpower the choreography.
MIRROR MIRROR at Milwaukee Ballet (Photo: Mark Frohna)
In an indeterminate time and place blessedly free of dwarves, princes and cuddly forest animals, Pink spurns the Grimm brothers’ modeling of ideal feminine behavior and Walt Disney’s fetish for cleanliness. He deftly explores the nature of power relationships and modern society’s obsession with youth and beauty, while honoring the timeless notion that goodness must ultimately prevail over vanity and the hunger for power.
– Check out our full review of Mirror Mirror, which opened at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on May 15th, 2014, on Bachtrack. –
