Ballett Zürich: Anna Karenina, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre, 24 February 2018
Stiva - Kevin Pouzou
Dolly - Chinatsu Sugishima
Alexei - Manuel Renard
Anna - Anna Khamzina
Levin - Jesse Fraser
Vronsky - Alexander Jones
Christophe Barwinek (piano)
Lin Shi (mezzo-soprano)
Christian Spuck (choreography)
Since I am no expert in ballet dancing, a short impression will be shared instead of the usual full review. Compare to previous years, the Arts Festival found the right production to kick off the month long cultural gourmet. This relatively new production of Anna Karenina, adapted from Tolstoy's novel, by Christian Spuck focuses on fluid narration and multi art forms. The classical tradition is retained through costumes and part of the choreography, yet it also employs simply projection and contemporary body expressions to realise the complex emotions and chains of events. It manages a fine balance between physical elegance and inner psychological states than sheer technical display. The fine execution of dramaturgy synchronise complicated movements and lines into an integrated forward momentum. The minimal use of stage props provide more space and visual focus that fit to the theatre size, than filling it like a cramped storehouse as many other productions disproportionately did. As audience the first half is portrayed as if we also experience the confusion of multiple relations at the same time. Whereas the second half the spotlight turns onto the protagonist, who fallen from the prime moment of her love life to the sad state of suicide and being abandoned by those related or knew her personally. Though one felt the downfall was a rushed affair, that lacked a progressive pacing and also pasticcio of part one that so brilliantly captured the essence of the novel. Otherwise, the lighting, choreography, skills and sound control all contributed this promising and much enjoyable start.
Theatre of Nations (Moscow): Shukshin's Stories, Drama Theatre of HKAPA, 25 February 2018
Evgeny Mironov
Chulpan Khamatova
Yulia Svezhakova
Natalia Nozdrina
Dmitry Zhuravlev
Alexander Grishin
Alexander Novin
Pavel Akimkin
Alvis Hermanis (director)
Monica Pormale (photos)
Tolstoy felt the Russian countryside as a hardworking ground for the serf, also a place to transform oneself and against the unjust system imposed by the ruling class. Yet Vasily Shukshin saw village life beyond the romanticised scene of sowing and ploughing fields, and every story served as a portrayal of realism. The eight short tales touched wide ranging themes of humour, murder, family, age, education, city and village division, infidelity, obsession, eccentricity and mental illness. Though it was primarily based on a male perspective, a woman never play a role as protagonist that trigger the ripple in actions. Both half began with a light hearted sketch and finished on an emotional climax. In between it could be an inconclusive scenario that saw humanity struggled to negotiate with obsession or misunderstanding in relationship. Object, outfit or their physical expressions marked each scene in a memorable and unique way. Yet the last story, titled Stiopka, was most heartbreaking on a fugitive who missed his family so much, and his arrest saw the retarded sister fought hard for her dear brother from dragging away to prison. The love and emotions were raw and exhibited in full. Compare to aristocrat quarrel and pretence, here contemporary rural Russia was more direct, honest and human than their imperial past. The eight actors excelled themselves by playing multi roles and sustained the interest over the three hours long performance.
Evgeny Mironov
Chulpan Khamatova
Yulia Svezhakova
Natalia Nozdrina
Dmitry Zhuravlev
Alexander Grishin
Alexander Novin
Pavel Akimkin
Alvis Hermanis (director)
Monica Pormale (photos)
Tolstoy felt the Russian countryside as a hardworking ground for the serf, also a place to transform oneself and against the unjust system imposed by the ruling class. Yet Vasily Shukshin saw village life beyond the romanticised scene of sowing and ploughing fields, and every story served as a portrayal of realism. The eight short tales touched wide ranging themes of humour, murder, family, age, education, city and village division, infidelity, obsession, eccentricity and mental illness. Though it was primarily based on a male perspective, a woman never play a role as protagonist that trigger the ripple in actions. Both half began with a light hearted sketch and finished on an emotional climax. In between it could be an inconclusive scenario that saw humanity struggled to negotiate with obsession or misunderstanding in relationship. Object, outfit or their physical expressions marked each scene in a memorable and unique way. Yet the last story, titled Stiopka, was most heartbreaking on a fugitive who missed his family so much, and his arrest saw the retarded sister fought hard for her dear brother from dragging away to prison. The love and emotions were raw and exhibited in full. Compare to aristocrat quarrel and pretence, here contemporary rural Russia was more direct, honest and human than their imperial past. The eight actors excelled themselves by playing multi roles and sustained the interest over the three hours long performance.
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