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Pennsylvania Ballet's "Coppelia'
Jim Rutter
Who's that kid in the chorus line?
JIM RUTTER
I didn’t intend to review the Pennsylvania Ballet’s current production of Coppelia. True, the story— based on a work by E.T.A. Hoffman— amuses, and Leo Delibes's delightful music enchants in a fairy tale fashion. But I’d already seen this company’s version not that long ago (in 2002).
Yet the Pennsylvania Ballet keeps this audience favorite in its repertory for a reason. The ballet depicts the amusing tale of the village girl Swanilda and her slightly straying fiancé Franz (Alexander Iziliaev). Though he’s set to marry her, Franz’s wavering affections fall instead on Coppelia, a mechanical doll created by Dr. Coppelius (Jonathan Stiles). Since Franz doesn’t realize that he’s fallen for a life-size Barbie (apologies to Pamela Anderson), a brief comedy ensues, with Swanilda and her friends breaking into the good doctor’s workshop so that she can switch places with the doll and repay him in jest for his mild betrayal.
It’s silly, and it’s charming, and the choreography (after Marius Petipa) offers flashy ensemble movements and a third act full of opportunities for virtuosic displays. But as I said, I wasn’t set to spend a spring evening seeing it again.
Introducing Abigail Mentzer
And then, on a thought, I checked the casting roster on Pennsylvania Ballet’s website and noticed that Abigail Mentzer—though technically still listed as a member of the ensemble—was slated to dance the role of Swanilda at the Saturday matinee performance. Realizing that the Ballet is possibly about to enter a rebuilding year—with my personal favorite James Ady retiring, and two of the principal ballerinas in the Company’s way (to put it mildly)— I was curious to see how Ms. Mentzer would perform in her first leading role in Philadelphia. (She’s danced featured parts here and leads in smaller companies elsewhere.)
Like any ballet, Coppelia’s plot requires the dancers to tell a great deal of the story in gesture and expression, and here Mentzer positively sparkled. One moment full of softness and light, she added well-nuanced facial expressions and incredible magnetism (her red hair helps) in such a way that none of the subtleties of this comedic role escaped her grasp. Mentzer’s encapsulation of the role enlivened the dancing tremendously. And as a woman a good deal younger than Martha Chamberlain and Arantxa Ochoa (who danced Swanilda on alternate dates), her youth reinforced the story’s fairy-tale effect.
Mentzer’s age certainly helped the explosiveness in her crisp movements, as she flashed upward on point and turned with dazzling effect. And though Mentzer seems to lack the fluid grace of Chamberlain and (particularly) Ochoa, that’s something she can acquire. Her already capable dramatic ability will pay much larger dividends as she grows into the more tragic roles.
A few quibbles
Though I enjoyed her performance, I’m not completely sold on Mentzer as a principal worthy dancer— yet. Her arabesques seemed unsteady, and though I loved watching her bright smile as she confidently attacked her turning fouettes, she wavered far too much from side to side on the stage in their execution.
Mentzer already possesses comedic characterization, combined with an ingénue’s natural innocence that will equip her to continue rising through the ranks and acquiring more featured and lead roles for her repertory; the technical gaps she can still acquire. You can catch Mentzer again— not to mention an early glimpse at the future of the Pennsylvania ballet— at the noon performance on April 26.
The rest of the production provided an afternoon of pure delight. Iziliaev danced superbly, and Lindsay Purrington sauced up the evening as the town flirt— though Jose Varona’s long dresses made it difficult to discern the elegance of her kicks during the lifts. However, the visual artistry of Varona’s children’s book sets during Acts I and III created a brilliant result, as the villagers’ costumes blended into the backdrop—green rooftops matching the men’s vests while the white facades of the buildings melded seamlessly into the corps of female dancers’ dresses.
JIM RUTTER
I didn’t intend to review the Pennsylvania Ballet’s current production of Coppelia. True, the story— based on a work by E.T.A. Hoffman— amuses, and Leo Delibes's delightful music enchants in a fairy tale fashion. But I’d already seen this company’s version not that long ago (in 2002).
Yet the Pennsylvania Ballet keeps this audience favorite in its repertory for a reason. The ballet depicts the amusing tale of the village girl Swanilda and her slightly straying fiancé Franz (Alexander Iziliaev). Though he’s set to marry her, Franz’s wavering affections fall instead on Coppelia, a mechanical doll created by Dr. Coppelius (Jonathan Stiles). Since Franz doesn’t realize that he’s fallen for a life-size Barbie (apologies to Pamela Anderson), a brief comedy ensues, with Swanilda and her friends breaking into the good doctor’s workshop so that she can switch places with the doll and repay him in jest for his mild betrayal.
It’s silly, and it’s charming, and the choreography (after Marius Petipa) offers flashy ensemble movements and a third act full of opportunities for virtuosic displays. But as I said, I wasn’t set to spend a spring evening seeing it again.
Introducing Abigail Mentzer
And then, on a thought, I checked the casting roster on Pennsylvania Ballet’s website and noticed that Abigail Mentzer—though technically still listed as a member of the ensemble—was slated to dance the role of Swanilda at the Saturday matinee performance. Realizing that the Ballet is possibly about to enter a rebuilding year—with my personal favorite James Ady retiring, and two of the principal ballerinas in the Company’s way (to put it mildly)— I was curious to see how Ms. Mentzer would perform in her first leading role in Philadelphia. (She’s danced featured parts here and leads in smaller companies elsewhere.)
Like any ballet, Coppelia’s plot requires the dancers to tell a great deal of the story in gesture and expression, and here Mentzer positively sparkled. One moment full of softness and light, she added well-nuanced facial expressions and incredible magnetism (her red hair helps) in such a way that none of the subtleties of this comedic role escaped her grasp. Mentzer’s encapsulation of the role enlivened the dancing tremendously. And as a woman a good deal younger than Martha Chamberlain and Arantxa Ochoa (who danced Swanilda on alternate dates), her youth reinforced the story’s fairy-tale effect.
Mentzer’s age certainly helped the explosiveness in her crisp movements, as she flashed upward on point and turned with dazzling effect. And though Mentzer seems to lack the fluid grace of Chamberlain and (particularly) Ochoa, that’s something she can acquire. Her already capable dramatic ability will pay much larger dividends as she grows into the more tragic roles.
A few quibbles
Though I enjoyed her performance, I’m not completely sold on Mentzer as a principal worthy dancer— yet. Her arabesques seemed unsteady, and though I loved watching her bright smile as she confidently attacked her turning fouettes, she wavered far too much from side to side on the stage in their execution.
Mentzer already possesses comedic characterization, combined with an ingénue’s natural innocence that will equip her to continue rising through the ranks and acquiring more featured and lead roles for her repertory; the technical gaps she can still acquire. You can catch Mentzer again— not to mention an early glimpse at the future of the Pennsylvania ballet— at the noon performance on April 26.
The rest of the production provided an afternoon of pure delight. Iziliaev danced superbly, and Lindsay Purrington sauced up the evening as the town flirt— though Jose Varona’s long dresses made it difficult to discern the elegance of her kicks during the lifts. However, the visual artistry of Varona’s children’s book sets during Acts I and III created a brilliant result, as the villagers’ costumes blended into the backdrop—green rooftops matching the men’s vests while the white facades of the buildings melded seamlessly into the corps of female dancers’ dresses.
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