Liberec Cinderella is "different"

Liberec Cinderella is "different"

ROMAN VAŠEK, 28.10.2014

Prokofiev Cinderella has been experiencing a boom on Czech ballet stages lately. Three years ago the National Theatre staged Jean-Christophe Maillot's production, last year it was staged in Pilsen by Jiří Pokorný, in mid-October Alena Pešková prepared Cinderella in the Liberec theatre and next year the audience in Ostrava will see it in the concept of Canadian choreographer Paul Chalmer.

At Cinderella apparently attracted by a familiar fairy tale story - a title for the whole family. But Prokofiev's ballet is not exactly audience-friendly. The music is already out of step with the pleasing melodies of most children's fairy-tale ballet titles, and even the libretto has a few pitfalls (the scene of the Prince wandering through exotic lands in search of Cinderella is a problem). Jiří Pokorný honoured the libretto, which he did not make radical interventions in, and tried to enliven the production by involving the pupils of the children's dance studio, to whom he entrusted the movement of the scenographic objects. But still, in my opinion, the result was a rather dead, unexciting theatre. Maillot was much more radical, focusing on the theme of Cinderella's memories of Mama and Papa's relationship with his late wife. Alena Pešková took a similar path.The Good Fairy is the reincarnation of Mama, and Cinderella's behavior is largely based on her complicated relationship with her. It's as if Cinderella is stuck in her childhood when Mama died. Alena Pešková imposes several handicaps on Cinderella. She is simply "different." She obviously suffers from depression (she carries the trauma of her mother's death in childhood and of living with her stepmother and siblings - she even takes antidepressants), she refuses to submit to the consumer society's pursuit of fashionable conveniences (that's why her clothes are so "out" and her obsolete mobile phone is so ridiculed by the surrounding society, which uses only "touchscreens"). The fact that Cinderella is different is also emphasized by the casting of Rie Mority. Her Asian features are so different from others. So somewhere in the background the theme of racial difference, of prejudice against people of different skin colour, arises. After all, the interpretation of Asian ballerinas and dancers tends to be "different"; we often perceive in them a different work with facial expressions. Rie Morita is the opposite of the perceived image of a beautiful, delicate Central European-looking girl, as encoded in our country for generations through Libuše Šafránková from the cult film Three Nuts for Cinderella. Rei Morita is also different from the idea of the ideal ballet performer for this role. She doesn't look like a fragile girl with a sweetly innocent face and thin legs.Alena Pešková often emphasizes that she tries to make an advantage of the limits of her company and that she builds productions "to the dancers' bodies". At the same time, she looks to the audience, but this does not mean that she panders and tries to impress at any cost. V Cinderella went the way of the update. What is important is not so much the transplantation to the fashionable luxury of today's Paris, which seems to refer to the French origin of Perrault's fairy tale, as the transfer of the story to a setting whose variants we encounter every day. The symbol of the update is the mobile phone, which replaces the slipper. The Prince here is not a nobleman, but a good sort from a local wealthy family, and instead of a ball, the Prince's birthday party is more like a bohemian dance party, where the golden youth are entertained by, among other things, a game of "bottle" (thankfully only in allusion - it is, after all, a title for the whole family). Pešková cuts a lot (for example, she omits the Prince's wanderings through exotic lands or the exit of the oranges) and occasionally adds sound inserts to Prokofiev's music, which sound - sometimes redundantly - during scene changes. He even juxtaposes Prokofiev with contemporary popular music - this is when DJ Paul cuts house music into Sergei Sergeyevich's music during Prince's birthday.The updating is reflected in the choreographic language, which ranges from almost classical variations (typically in the variation of spring in a precise performance by the guest Andrea Krames), through obvious inspirations in street dance to dances from youth clubs. Unfortunately, the interesting inspirations are not developed into a supporting choreography. This is particularly evident in the awkward male variations of the spirits of the seasons that accompany Cinderella on her journey to celebrate the Prince's birthday.

Although the production is primarily based on the serious theme of exclusion from society, it is dominated by hyperbole. This is also reflected in the acting. Some may find it tastelessly overdone, but I see it as a move towards caricature. It is strongest in the company of fashion stylists and birthday party attendees, or in the metrosexual Dance Teacher and DJ Paul (both played by the eccentric Pavel Novotný). Thanks to the shading of the actors, the contrast between the lively and burlesque Macecha stands out. Maria Gornalová and her daughters as performed by Veronika Šlapanská a Margaux Thomas on the one hand, and the more moderate Daddy Alexeye Yurakova. He follows events without much interest, immersed in reading the daily press, or playing the role of a passive donor to the whims of his second wife and her daughters.Cinderella's Mother, or the Good Fairy, is also portrayed in opposition to the fashionable society and the Maceše and her daughters, who are danced with elegance by Karolína Miková. In the mummery of warped and consumerist characters, she is the only one who gives the impression of a good creature from the old ballet fairy tales. A more interesting characterization was bestowed upon the Prince Jaroslav Kolář. He may be a child of consumer society, but it is eating away at him with its falseness and he is looking for an escape from it. Rie Mority's Cinderella goes through many expressive positions. She is haunted by loneliness, despondency and even anger, and finally a sincere amorous feeling. It is a strong performance, but one that would have benefited from more subtle acting at key moments.As per Prokofiev's CinderellaI sometimes think. Alena Pešková gives an answer with a production that is in many ways problematic, but which honestly follows and assumes the chosen interpretation of the ballet. The conclusion of her Cinderellas had an uplifting effect on me. And isn't it the catharsis that's important?