By Eliza Een
The Utah Metropolitan Ballet is celebrating its 40th anniversary season with Snow White, the Grimm Brothers fairytale adapted by Jacqueline P. Colledge (artistic director, choreographer) with music from Silvio Amato. The cast has alternating lead dancers for the characters of Snow White and the Prince, so I will review the performers I saw on opening night and reference their counterparts.
The show begins with young Snow White (Evangeline Fyans, Gabrielle Fyans) alone in the apron of the stage. She dances into adulthood, transitioning to grown-up Snow White (Hallie Jo Johnson, Alyssa Reid) before the curtain opens. At once, the audience is drawn into the palace of the king. Johnson carries herself with a grace equal to her royal role and makes the audience root for her as our heroine. I enjoyed the early introduction to the Prince (Ryan Hatch, Matteo Garatooni) and his dance with Snow White among members of the King’s court. This added interest to the story and added to the audience’s excitement when the Prince is searching for Snow White and they are finally reunited. When they danced together again, I was especially touched by the small ways Hatch and Johnson showed adoration through the choreography.
The entrance of Amy Cook as the Evil Queen is moody and dramatic, and I love how the ensemble reacts to her choreography to show the influence she has and to establish her as the villain of our story. The introduction of the magic mirror was very clever and well-executed, highlighting Cook’s attention to detail and precision with her movements.
The Queen’s Henchman Lucas Castro awes the audience with impressive lifts as he takes Snow White into the forest, and this shift to a darker mood and tone through dance is reinforced by the setting and practical effects, like Marianne Ohran’s lighting design.
An unexpected favorite moment of the show was the dance of the Forest Sprites (Sydney Lee, Toshihiro Harada) upon discovering Snow White on her first morning in the forest. It was playful and fun, and they reminded me of a Shakespearian Puck as they frolicked across the stage and set the tone for the arrival of other forest creatures.
The introduction of the Seven Woodsmen sends audible laughs rippling through the audience, as dancers Molly Haynie, Madison Lonsdale, Mollie Dallas, Shelby Duke, Holland Ferguson, Reese Clark, and Gabrielle Fyans take on the quirky personalities of these well-known characters. Their interactions with each other and with Johnson (Reid) are entertaining and endearing, constantly drawing my eye and making me excited for what they would do next.
The costume design (Cassandra Barney, Suellen Baum) is very effective, using simple props and embellishments to differentiate roles of characters in the ensemble and making bold, dramatic choices for the Evil Queen that accentuate the fierceness of her character. Barney’s scenic design and set pieces, like the woodsmen’s cottage and the magic mirror, provide the ideal fairytale backdrop for the action onstage.
Run time for this show is 1 hour and 40 minutes, with a 10-minute intermission. Since the story is exclusively told through dance, there is a synopsis of the story included in the program to add context to the show, but the cast’s performance is wonderful and clear enough that you can follow the action without it. Audiences of all ages who love dance and fairytales—and especially princesses waiting for their own happy endings—will enjoy this show! I highly recommend that you celebrate with the Utah Metropolitan Ballet for the 40th season by going to see Snow White onstage now through March 3rd.
Utah Metropolitan Ballet Company presents Snow White by the Grimm Brothers, adapted by Jaqueline P. Colledge to music by Silvio Amato
425 W Center ST. Provo, UT 84601
February 28, March 1, 3, 7:00 PM. Matinees on March 1, 11:00 AM (Autism Friendly Performance), 2:00 PM
Tickets: $27–57
https://coveycenter.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=2206
Contact: ballet@umballet.org, tel: 801-200-3442
https://www.facebook.com/share/18npYaZrbA/ FB Event
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