Digital choices for Classical dance, Opera and Theater
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » For many, the greatest loss when SPAC cancelled its 2020 classical season was the absence of the New York City Ballet’s week-long visit to Saratoga.
World class classical ballet is not something you easily replace.
Under the category, “It’s not the same but….” Lincoln Center at Home is offering Dance Week. It is available free at LincolnCenter.org and on Lincoln Center’s Facebook page.
The performances will be available May 30 through June 4. They are from Lincoln Center’s archive and wilI feature several dance companies.
But NYC Ballet fans, do not fear. The company will perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” (1986), “Coppelia,” (1978), and “A Tribute to Ballanchine” (1983). The other companies include Ballet Hispanico, American Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.
Here’s the schedule:
2 p.m. Saturday, May 30: “Carmen, maquia and Club Havana by Ballet Hispanico Monday (2015)
8 p.m. Saturday, May 30: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by NYC Ballet (1986)
8 p.m. Sunday, May 31: Repertory performances by American Ballet (1978)
7 p.m. Monday, June 1: Virtual Workshop Performance Celebration by School of American Ballet
8 p.m. Tuesday June 2: “Coppelia” by NYC Ballet. (1978)
8 p.m. Wednesday June 3: Tribute to Ballanchine (Dances set to Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Gershwin.) By NYC Ballet (1983)
8 p.m. Thursday June 4: Chroma, Grace, Takademe, Revelations Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre (2015)
However, if your great loss is Opera Saratoga, there is a virtual solution for you as well. Opera Philadelphia has similar aesthetics as to those of Lawrence Edelson, the General mDirector of Opera Saratoga. They respect the classics, but love off-beat chamber operas that challenge audiences and are more contemporary in nature.
They have put five past productions online, four of which are world premieres and adult in themes. They are available free on demand through August 31. They are available at the company’s website operaphila.org and on YouTube.
As an example of their work, their production of the 2016 world premiere performance of “Breaking the Waves” enters the repertoire tomorrow night. It is an adaptation of an Academy-Award nominated film by Lars von Trier. Music is by Missy Mazzaoli and libretto by Royce Vavrek.
Set in the isolated highlands of Scotland, it tells of the intense romance between Bess McNeil, a deeply religious woman and her husband Jan, a handsome oil rig worker.
An accident paralyzes Jan. Frustrated by lack of physical intimacy with his wife, Jan tries to convince Beth to have sexual relations with other men. He wants her to verbally share her experiences with him, so that it will feel they are making love together.
This idea places Beth in terrible turmoil, as it goes against her religious convictions and her own moral principles. He thinks of her reluctance as selfishness. The work is indeed a conflict between religious beliefs and the power of eroticism. It is a conflict that can only end in tragedy.
“Breaking the Waves” airs on Friday at 8 p.m. and runs close to two and a half hours. The other operas available on demand through August 31 are “Denis & Katya,” “We Shall Not Be Moved,” “The Barber of Seville,” and “Sky on Swings.”
For information of the digital series and individual operas go to operaphila.org
Theater fans are not neglected this week. My choice for the week is “This House” by National Theatre Live (NT-Live). It starts today on the National Theater
You Tube Channel and continues through June 4.
This is a recording of the 2012 production about the political stalemate that took place in the British Parliament during the 1970s. For 4 ½ years, the British political parties refused to cooperate with each other. It caused economic chaos, social unrest and eventually led to the “Era of Thatcher.”
Though the situation bears an eerie resemblance to modern politics, this production is neither dry nor bitter. Actually, it’s a play rich in humor and sentiment.
Indeed, the central figures are shown as filled with passion and commitment - which doesn’t exclude them from being self-serving and engaging in acts of skullduggery.
It’s a rare piece of political theater that shows all the flaws of a democratic system without being filled with negativity.
We still miss live performances of dance, opera and theater – but the world of digital streaming offers many quality alternatives.