The Australian Ballet: Don Quixote -
State Theatre, Melbourne, 15 March -
The Australian Ballet opened its 2013 season with an old favourite – Nureyev’s version of Don Quixote. Immortalized in the 1972 film with Nureyev and Lucette Aldous, this production, with its commedia dell’arte overtones, has stood the test of time. There are juicy roles galore in this ballet – character parts, soloist roles, cameos, and that’s before we get to the virtuoso principal roles of Kitri and Basilio.
Daniel Gaudiello as Basilio is on the way to superstar status. Blessed with good looks and in possession of a fabulous technique he had the wild spark needed for the penniless barber, and charisma aplenty to draw all eyes and set the stage alight. He had it all – clean batterie, great turns, an infectious sense of mischief and fun, not least in the superbly handled mime scenes, his “death scene” a particular delight.
Lana Jones as Kitri took a little longer to warm into the exuberance of the role and its fast tempo, though there was a beautiful rapport between the two of them from the start. However, she fully hit her stride in the pure classicism of the dream world of the Dryads. In fact this scene possibly suited her particular gifts best in the ballet. Her technical mastery made the fiendish difficulties of Dulcinea’s variation look easy, and she joined in the fireworks of the final act with some super balances and turns. Kitri is, by nature, a wilful show-off whose true element is fire so the greater the wow-factor here the better.
Steven Heathcote is a Don in the making but it is a role he has yet to grow into. In a way he appeared far too youthful for Don Quixote, looking more like a premier danseur on stage. The Don is a figure of pathos and tragicomedy, open to derision, certainly, but winning his way through to a very real nobility by way of his undying devotion to a knightly ideal. And even though this ideal exists only largely in his imagination, the whole point is that his imagination is powerful enough to set it up as an alternate reality which can challenge the everyday reality of the townsfolk. To convey the whole of this is a very big ask and yet it is this, the figure of the Don, which can give the ballet any depth which it may possess.
Of course, there is silly business aplenty, to which the Don stands in stark contrast – and to which he is largely oblivious, as well. All the comic roles were a lot of fun to watch, with Matthew Donnelly as Gamache making the most of his farcical dual scene, hamming it up to the hilt.
Reiko Hombo is always a delight to watch with her clean lines and footwork and impish grace, and the role of Amour she fitted her like a glove. Amber Scott was a vision as always as the Queen of the Dryads, all ethereal elegance and grace, even though the role didn’t seem as natural a fit for her, danced as it usually is by a taller more statuesque dancer.
Miwako Kubota danced a graceful and flawless Chief Bridesmaid, Chengwu Guo made the most of the Gypsy boy’s flamboyant solo, Amy Harris had the sensuous look as the Street Dancer, while Laura Tong and Rudy Hawkes as the lead Fandango couple gave a particularly fine and stylish rendition of their duet. The corps plunged into the fun and antics of the staging with some fine dancing.
Orchestra Victoria could have provided a little more sparkle and lightness of touch and evenness of execution in their interaction with the dancers – possibly they were not overly inspired by the Minkus/Lanchbery score.
All in all though, this Don Quixote was an engaging and exuberant opening to the season.
- Irina Kuzminsky
Don Quixote plays the State Theatre, Melbourne until March 26 and the Sydney Opera House April 5-24.
See: www.australianballet.com.au