By Nate Brown
I love the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, and can’t think of a better place for Ballet West to stage George Balanchine’s triple bill masterpiece, Jewels. The air was chilled as my wife and I walked to the theater through downtown Salt Lake, rain threatening, and the appetizing smell of food trucks and restaurants in the air.
The Capitol Theatre is welcoming from the moment you walk in. Brightly lit with dozens of doors, it’s as though the theater itself is beckoning for you to come inside. The staff of the Capitol theater is warm and friendly, and make finding a seat a pleasure rather than just a necessity.
As we waited for the audience to gather, I perused the playbill to refamiliarize myself with the work. Legendary choreographer Balanchine created Jewels in 1967 and it remains a pivotal masterpiece of 20th Century dance. It presents three separate but complementary works. Emeralds uses music by Gabriel Fauré and was considered by Balanchine to be “an evocation of France.” Rubies brings us into a wild, 1920’s-era America with Igor Stravinsky’S Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. Diamonds exemplifies the grandeur and soul of imperial Russia, appropriately accompanied by a Tchaikovsky Symphony.
The work is plotless, focusing on the emotion and spectacle of the music and movement rather than on a storyline. Balanchine himself, when asked what the second piece Rubies was about, responded wryly, “It is about 20 minutes.”
As the curtain rises on the first piece, Emeralds, your senses are flooded with the first color theme of the evening. Green. Lighting by Jim French, costumes by Barbara Karinska, and an elegant chandelier created by Michael Andrew Currey all glow verdantly as the cast presents their opening picture on stage.
Principal Artists Katherine Lawrence and Rex Tilton move with romance and confidence, and strength so powerfully on display that the movement seems effortless and the performers weightless. First Soloists Sayaka Ohtaki and Tyler Gum follow up with complementary athleticism. The entire cast of Emeralds moves fluidly and with impeccable technique, and do credit to the staging by Sandra Jennings and coaching by Mimi Paul. At the curtain’s close, the feeling of elegance and grace has swollen to fill the theater.
After a brief first intermission, the curtain rises on the second piece, Rubies. The red of the stage, chandelier, and costumes is rich and decadent as the cast begins the piece. Principal Beckanne Sisk and demi-soloist Hadriel Diniz set themselves apart in this piece with their playful, precise, and powerful movement. First soloist Katlyn Addison complements their tone with vigorous vitality and strength, and perfect technique and flexibility. Solo Pianist George Shevtsov deftly trips and winds through the Capriccio like a brook flowing and diverting down a mountainside. The beauty, artistry, technique, and energy of the cast of Rubies easily make it stand out among the three works.
The second intermission completed, the scene presented when the curtain rises on Diamonds earns its own ovation. White and crystal gleam from chandelier and cast. An echo of the elegance of Emeralds returns with the entrance of principals Emily Adams and Adrian Fry as they flow through the forms and flexes of the piece. A few of their poses were shaky in this piece, indicative of the breathless magnitude of the choreography the artists were being asked to perform. The cast of Diamonds, more than thirty strong, frame and complement the principals flawlessly, and with clear indications of future principals in their ranks.
Visually stunning, emotionally broad, and physically powerful, Ballet West’s presentation of Jewels is memorable and stunning – an artistic gift to Salt Lake City. Ballet West’s Jewels is appropriate for all ages, and a dazzling way for the family to begin the holiday season.
Ballet West presents George Balanchine’s Jewels
Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, 50 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101
November 2-10, 7:30 PM
Tickets: $20 – $92, special rates available for groups of 15 or more.
Contact: 801-869-6920, ticketing@balletwest.org: Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm MST
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