Setting aside that complaint, Haglund thought that The Seven Deadly Sins was a terrific little "ballet chante" as the Playbill called it. Song was dominant to dance - which, by the way, was less ballet and more theater-oriented. Haglund understands that some considered this cause to complain, but he thought that Lynn Taylor-Corbett hit a bullseye with respect to combining the two - more so than any of the Tharp Broadway productions, which Haglund also found enjoyable even though they were quite a bit more noisy and raucous.
The Seven Deadly Sins with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht as translated by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman is the story of Anna, whose personality is split into Anna 1 (down to earth, practical) and Anna 2 (impulsive, less resistant to temptations) who embarks on a seven year journey through seven U.S. states to raise money so her family in Louisiana can acquire a nice house. Along the journey she is faced with the seven deadly sins - sloth, pride, anger, gluttony, lust, greed, and envy - which both de-rail her and propel her toward her goal. In this production, Anna 1 was sung by Patti LuPone while Anna 2 was danced by Wendy Whelan.
Haglund thought that Wendy broke through to a new level of artistry last night. She looked positively hungry for this type of theatrical dance opportunity which enabled her to step outside of the angular, manipulative choreography that has defined her career. No pointe shoes. No tight bun at the back of her head. No black leotard with waist-cinching belt. Instead, it was a glowing Wendy with shining hair loose and wavy who wore an array of costumes from a modest 1950's style dress to some old fashioned undergarments to some sizzling little number that those sinning gentlemen could ease her out of. The choreography was not trick-infested but it had Ms. Taylor-Corbett's signature energy and intelligent composition. As Haglund said, the song dominated the dance, and the dance was there for the purpose of interpreting the song. There was less in the way of dance and choreography than one usually sees at NYCB but Haglund was pleased that the company stepped out of its comfort zone and dabbled in something more commonly seen at the Lincoln Center Theater.
I'll be seeing Seven Deadlies at this weekend's Saturday mat and will be tweeting live during the performance as soon as I set up a Twitter account and convert myself into a complete twerp.
Very strong spring issue of Dance View, with a forceful, informed review of Jennifer Homan's Apollo's Angels by Mary Cargill and a report on the Vaganova student exams at the Kirov Academy in Wash DC by Michael Popkin that lends the hope that Classicism Lives!
Neither article is online so I guess you'd best subscribe.
Source: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/wolcott/2011/05/deadlies-and-lovelies.html
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