Miss Saigon (June 4th, 2014)

It's been a long time since I've seen a show that was totally new to me, so bear with me - I can't be as detailed or analytical as usual since I haven't seen this show twenty-eight times. 

Miss Saigon is the story of Kim (Eva Noblezada), orphaned in war-torn Vietnam, who ends up working at Dreamland, a strip-club of sorts, run by "The Engineer" (Jon Jon Briones) in Saigon in April 1975. Chris (Alistair Brammer) and John (Hugh Maynard), American G.I.s, arrive at Dreamland, where John buys a room (and Kim) for Chris. What follows is a story that combines love and tragedy as we follow Kim's life after Chris leaves her behind in Saigon.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Miss Saigon. It almost felt like half the show was missing, despite its length. There was a distinct lack of character development; nothing anyone did made any sense, except perhaps Kim. In a sense, it was incredibly scripted. Everyone did what they were doing because that's what the script said to do, not because it made sense for their character. I still don't understand why Chris left and married someone else (ok, the leaving part I sort of understand, but why marry someone if you're in love with a girl you left behind, especially if you still think you could go back for her?).  Anyway, it was just missing something big, because I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting or emotional. All the performances were good, and whether it was the actors or the script that were at fault, I don't know. But it's not something I'm eager to see again.

There were three things about Miss Saigon I did like though. First, the sets. They were massive, incredibly detailed, realistic - I loved them! They really helped set the story in Saigon. That helicopter though… totally unnecessary. Way too much fuss over something that was onstage for about thirty seconds and made no difference to the atmosphere of the scene. The sound effects and lights were enough. Another favourite thing was the massive dance scene at the transition between Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City. WOW that was something. I could've watched that for the rest of the show. Beautiful choreography, great music, wonderful performers - it was quite something. And the last thing I liked was Tam! He was so fluffing adorable, I just wanted to pick him up and squish him. His interactions with The Engineer were so cute; I can't recall the exact line/action, but something made me laugh quite a bit. I wish I knew which Tam we had (I think I heard someone call him Connor at Stage Door, but I could be wrong), but he did a great job.

All in all, Miss Saigon isn't something I'd go see again. While all members of the cast gave strong performances, it was missing something that gave the story purpose and meaning. 

Romeo and Juliet at the National Ballet of Canada (June 20th, 2014)

The National Ballet of Canada's 

Romeo & Juliet

Although Romeo and Juliet has now concluded after a too-short 3-show run (though you can catch it in Los Angeles July 10-13), and I'm not adept at reviewing ballets, I had to write about it. Never have I found a ballet so emotionally moving, yet so technically beautiful. The usual trade off seems to be technique over emotion (i.e. Cinderella), but this was not the case with Romeo and Juliet.

Guillaume Cote as Romeo, Elena Lobsanova as Juliet
(National Ballet of Canada)

On Friday, June 20th, Romeo was played by Principle Dancer Guillaume Cote and Juliet by first soloist Elena Lobsanova. Other main characters include recently promoted McGee Maddox as Tybalt, Piotr Stanczyk as Mercutio, and Robert Stephen as Benvolio. 

For me, the three highlights of this ballet were the beautiful music by Prokofiev, the brilliant choreography of Alexei Ratmansky, and the charming team of Cote and Lobsanova (whom I jokingly refer to as the "feet team"; both have incredible feet) in the lead roles. It is hard to pick just three though, as the ballet didn't have a 'bad moment', so to speak. That is, nearly everything was a highlight. With the music and choreography combined, it's not that there was never a dull moment; there was never a moment you could look away. The 'group numbers' (forgive my woeful lack of ballet terminology) were so intricate and so perfectly danced, particularly the group dance in the first scene of the first act (I was in tears by the end of it), and of the masked banquet just prior to Romeo and Juliet's first meeting. Another piece of choreography that I feel deserves mention was the moment when Friar Lawrence (Peter Ottmann) was explaining to Juliet his plan to bring her and Romeo back together. Juliet and the Friar sat on the ground and turned their attention towards a piece of the stage with a sheer curtain over it. Behind this sheer curtain, "Juliet" and Romeo acted out her 'death' and their reunion. It was incredibly poignant, having a visual of how the plan was supposed to work, shortly followed by seeing how it really turned out. A genius move on Ratmansky's part, and possibly my favourite moment in the ballet. Perhaps the only thing in Romeo and Juliet that I did not like was a combination of choreography and music; I felt Mercutio's death was far too drawn out. Yes, the humour and attempt to cover up his injury was necessary, but it went on far too long. I went from very sad to "How are you not dead yet?!" There's an element of suspended reality, but that only works so far in a ballet that is otherwise incredibly realistic.

Guillaume Cote as Romeo, Elena Lobsanova as Juliet
(National Ballet of Canada)

Lobsanova and Cote are amazing, both individually and as a team. Cote first drew my eye in The Nutcracker last Christmas, where his beautiful technique (those feet!) and lovely expression (and his ability to smoothly cover a face plant early in Act Two) impressed me. I was very eager to see him play Romeo, and he did not disappoint. Again, technique combined with expression to create an unforgettable interpretation of Romeo. His humorous interactions with Mercutio and Benvolio were a highlight, as was his fiery confrontation with Tybalt. Lobsanova is someone I'd never seen dance before, but whom I am now very eager to see again. She captured Juliet's whole range of emotion, from her girlish, cheerful nature at the beginning of the ballet, to her darker, more mature self towards the end, plus everything in between. On top of that, she is a gorgeous dancer, with legs and feet to die for, and each move she makes seemingly spontaneous, as opposed to choreographed and practiced hundreds of times. Lobsanova and Cote make a marvellous pairing; two incredible dancers that complement each others' style and emotional execution. I'm eager to see them dance other parts together (though I could easily watch their performances as Romeo and Juliet over and over again). 

The supporting dancers and corps were all wonderful. Maddox was a very strong Tybalt (unexpected, as I was underwhelmed by his Prince Charming in Cinderella); he maintained Tybalt's 'angry' disposition throughout his time on stage without overdoing it. Stanczyk and Stephen were a terrifically humorous pairing as Mercutio and Benvolio. Four male dancers in black and white (not credited by name) were hugely funny, a much needed comedic reprise. One member of the corps stood out in particular; no name, unfortunately, but she was small and dark haired, and had a small featured part in the first act, where she was a member of the town who was particularly saddened by the deaths of two townspeople. It was her reaction that had me crying at the end of the first scene, so congratulations to her. 

All in all, the National Ballet's Romeo and Juliet was an incredible experience. The dancers, choreographers, and members of the orchestra outdid themselves. Although it is no longer playing in Toronto (though hopefully they will bring it back in the near future), you can see it in Los Angeles July 10-13. I highly recommend it if you're able to attend. 

Information here: http://national.ballet.ca/performances/On_Tour/Los_Angeles,_California/#/#frame0