By JAMES D. WATTS JR. Scene Writer on Feb 11, 2012, at 1:49 PM Updated on 2/11 at 1:50 PM
ARTS
This has not, by any standard, been a good week for far too many people.
We've been horrifically reminded how fragile ...
Celebrity Attractions announced that Disney Theatricals will donate a portion of this week's ticket sales to the Tulsa run ...
Tulsa native Tracy Letts won the Outstanding Actor in a Play at the 58th annual Drama Desk Awards, presented Sunday night ...
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Soo Youn Cho and Alfonso Martin in Tulsa Ballet's "Romeo and Juliet."
Let’s put it this way: Tulsa Ballet’s new “Romeo and Juliet” is, quite simply, Great Shakes.
The company gave the world premiere of this full-length ballet by Edwaard Liang Friday night at the Tulsa PAC, and it is a masterful work of dance theater, one that tells the story of Shakespeare’s “star-crossed lovers” with an economy and artistry that delivers all the thrilling beauty of ballet and all the emotional power of drama.
And it was performed with an intensity and passion that showed the Tulsa Ballet dancers knew they were a part of something special.
Liang, whose work includes “Beautiful Child,” which was created for Tulsa Ballet in 2010, has never choreographed a full-length story ballet before, but his ability to delineate character and convey the intricacies of a narrative purely through movement is impeccable.
I’ve seen a number of versions of “Romeo and Juliet” — on stage and in film, as drama and as dance — and Liang’s version is one of most effective, and most affecting, of them all. The drama is swiftly yet perfectly paced, the moments of comedy and tragedy are nicely balanced, and the small, subtle changes Liang has made to his staging do much of heighten the emotional wallop at the end.
Performances are 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Tulsa PAC. Principal dancers Soo Youn Cho and Alfonso Martin will dance the title roles Saturday, soloist Sofia Menteguiaga and principal Wang Yi will perform Sunday.
For tickets: 918-596-7111 or
www.tulsaworld.com.mytix.
The full review will run in Monday's Tulsa World.
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