In ‘Petrushka,’ BalletX and ensemble 132 break into a classical concert and burst out in a circus
Choreographer Amy Hall Garner’s story is hard to parse without reading the program notes, but it’s a wild adventure.
BalletX and the Chamber Music Society opened the world premiere of Amy Hall Garner’s highly colorful, theatrical Petrushka Thursday night at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater.
Petrushka takes the second half of a program that opens with ensemble 132 alone in the first act, playing Barktok, Wiancko, and Mozart. So when Peter Weil (as Pete, who becomes Petrushka) wanders on stage and settles in for a nap, it is amusing already.
It’s as if a Kimmel visitor walked through the wrong door.
Now the musicians, playing the Stravinsky score, are backstage while a surreal fever dream of a scene erupts. Pete is woken up by a chorus of dancers who steal his blanket and wrap him into the traveling show that is approaching.
It’s like we went to a classical concert and a circus broke out.
Last summer, BalletX offered a preview of Petrushka, for which choreographer-in-residence Garner teamed up with theater director Nancy Meckler and set and costume designer Emma Kingsbury. Then, it was intriguing but hard to parse.
» READ MORE: A new ‘Petrushka’ is bringing shape-shifting human puppets to Philadelphia
Petrushka, which Houston Public Media called “the unhappiest puppet story ever,” has been a standard in the ballet cannon since Michel Fokine choreographed the first version in 1911. It is still a known work but no longer performed frequently.
Garner’s story is still hard to parse without reading the program notes, but it’s a wild adventure.
This is the first time BalletX has remade an older story, artistic director Christine Cox said on stage before the show.
Garner’s traveling show is an amusing cast of circus characters who are sometimes puppets, other times human. A hilarious strongman (Mathias Joubert) and a magician/impresario (Jonathan Montepara) share the role as the bad guys. Montepara controls everyone with his wand. Both Pete and the magician are in love with Belle, the ballerina (Lanie Jackson).
Jackson convinces Pete to change into a costume, thus becoming Petrushka and distracting the audience.
» READ MORE: At 20, BalletX is nowhere near done bringing the most exciting new ballet and choreography to Philly
There are also acrobats and dancers who perform with ribbons, clubs, and hoops.
BalletX dancers are used to a variety of types of dance and roles. The company specializes in new work, so they are all flexible and able to perform in many ways. More surprising was how good they are as actors. In particular, Weil and Jackson didn’t only impress with their dancing but their strong storytelling and range of emotions.
Joubert was the strongest supporting character as the egotistical strongman, breaking the fourth wall to use it as a mirror, flexing his muscles and kissing himself.
The large number of bodies on stage made for a lively scene, but it also overwhelmed the Perelman stage at times. Ensemble 132, which owned the first half, almost faded into the background in the second.
It would be interesting to see this sometime at the Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts, BalletX’s second home.