Leigh Donlan reviewed the 5th July, 2024, evening performance at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York
Swan Lake glided into the Met last week as American Ballet Theatre continues its summer season, with the enchanting Christene Shevchenko as Odette/ Odile and dreamy Calvin Royal III as Prince Siegrfried on Friday night. This full-length classic delights with its rich Tchaikovsky score (Charles Barker conducting), opulent costumes and sets (Zach Brown) and the striking, if sometimes outdated, choreography by Kevin McKenzie after Petipa and Ivanov. Shevchenko and Royal in the leading roles performed beautifully throughout but were at their best in the last two Acts, when we saw a heightened passion and abandon not seen in the first half of the performance.
In Act I, The Queen Mother arrives – a divine Nancy Raffa, as a stately wet-blanket, disrupting Siegfried’s birthday revelries to inform her son that he is to choose a bride at the next evening’s ball, and it will be a practical choice, not one of love. She softens the blow by gifting him a new crossbow. Our Prince mopes about, meets a few disappointing prospects at his party, until his best mate Benno (the debonair Patrick Frenette) lifts his spirits by suggesting they go shoot a few birds. Off they go with their bows, but not before many beautiful dances unfold, including a proper Maypole dance. The pas de trois (Sierra Armstrong, Remy Young, Frenette) was charming and the soloists demonstrated their solid technique in a variety of arabesque and pirouette sequences with buttery smooth finishes, though sometimes wore their nerves on their faces.
At the Lakeside of Act II, Siegfried discovers Odette and her flock and learns of the curse that can only be broken by a faithful true love. Shevchenko is a natural in this role, with her refined musicality, exquisite lines, and feathery port de bras. And the corps synchrony is a sight to behold, when it worked. While their port de bras looked well-rehearsed, there were inconsistencies in the duration of their arabesque balances and their leg height in arabesque.
At the Act III ball, the national dances did not disappoint, and the dancers delivered robust performances, particularly Takumi Miyake and Jake Roxander in the Neapolitan. Isadora Loyola made an alluring Spanish Princess. Sauntering in with the devilish von Rothbart (Joseph Markey), Shevchenko’s Black Swan was cool and sharp, not abrasive but clearly a threat, capping her gleeful triumph over Siegfried with a nearly flawless coda of fouettés. We couldn’t look away. Neither could Siegfried, and so the tragedy unfolded. There was an endearing impetuousness to Royal’s Siegfried, a foolish vulnerability during their grand pas: he was ready to lock Odile down, mother-approved, but Markey’s von Rothbart prolonged the tension with a grand peacocking solo and an overpowering malevolent stage presence.
The story’s climax drew out Shevchenko and Royal’s best dramatic performance of the evening, genuine and heartfelt. It was very slightly marred by the shakiness of the set: both the platform that Odette and Siegfried throw themselves off of and the cliff that the monstrous von Rothbart (Duncan Lyle, who shared the role with Markey) dangles from as his power wanes.
Swan Lake is the benchmark for ballet companies, and while McKenzie’s version is a solid production, it was originally staged in 2000 and no longer feels fresh. Certain artistic choices feel gratuitous, like von Rothbart clutching a stuffed prop swan during the Prologue, his overly long and distraught demise, the finale’s cornea-singeing light blast, to name a few.
The dancers carry this production. And the ABT dancers are phenomenal, as always. How much more profound of an interpretation could they give in a version that they could sink their teeth into? Something that resonates with them – and with 21st century audiences. While these classics are critical to the history of the craft, the stories of entitled boys with mommy issues – who throw temper tantrums and resort to black magic to control women – are no doubt very relevant but best told with a modern sensibility. Maybe Odette is fed up with propping up the patriarchy and needs some self-care, while Odile should be in therapy for her narcissism and daddy issues. I’d be curious to see a Swan Lake with a different take on the power dynamics at the heart of this deeply emotional, surreal drama.
