#pnb

PNB dancer in Emeralds

that one part of Emergence where u can actually tell which one is Ashton Edwards (middle of the trio!)

𓍯 🌒 black n' white beauty 🥟 ꙳

Explanations here

Round 1 Part 4 Poll 1

My bad, I got confused : image updated

Explanations underneath

To begin, I want to explain the tone of the production. The program notes from the original read as follows:

"Jean-Christophe Maillot has taken formal inspiration from the episodic character of Prokofiev's score, structuring the action in a manner akin to cinematic narrative. This Romeo et Juliette highlights the dualities and ambiguities of adolescence. Torn between contradictory impulses, between tenderness and violence, fear and pride, the lovers are caught in a tragedy that exemplifies their youth and the extreme emotions and internal conflicts that characterize that time of life. (...) In evoking this fragile and volatile state of being, the [set] painter Ernest Pignon-Ernest created a decor marked by transparency and lightness: a play of simple forms that reveals an underlying complexity of meaning."

I'll use these three ideas to structure my thoughts about this production. First, I'll address the (meta)narrative of the story; next, the way that this production focuses on the contrast between youth and adulthood; and thirdly, the filmographic visuals and symbolism of this production and what makes them so effective.

Maillot takes some creative liberties with the characters and events of the story, as any good interpreter must do when translating from one medium to another. Most substantially, Maillot turns Friar Lawrence into the narrator of the tale. He is the first and last character we see, horrified and mourning. The Friar as a character then becomes a fascinating dichotomy between a player in the story, ignorant of the future like the rest, and a wretched prophet trying desperately to change the tide of destiny.

In his first moments onstage, his limbs stretch in sharp angles to become the hands of time, ticking steadily forward.

The beginning of it all (photo of Karel Cruz from a previous production)

He brings new meaning to the phrase "tortured by the narrative". His every action has the touch of agony upon it. Like in Hadestown (though this production preceded it by 20 years), our narrator is fond of the central young lovers. He wants them happy, though they are dead at both beginning and end. The Friar's interludes begin, generally, with the ticking of the clock and the freezing of time. He rushes around the stage, the sole person with the power of movement in the midst of a still tableau. Periodically, he tries to stop the violence, or to get someone's attention or move them elsewhere, or to stop the set from changing and time from marching on, but he never succeeds. The action continues without him, and all he can do is let time unfreeze. The Friar is as much at the mercy of destiny as anyone, if not moreso. He is both puppet and puppeteer.

For those lovers of symbolism, Friar's character is the most symbolically rich of them all. As a function of lying both within and without the narrative, he takes on many meanings throughout the ballet. His sober appearance references the suits of early filmmakers and conductors as he clasps his arms in a sort of “scene start” or conducts the action like a concertmaster. At other times, his doublet seems to call to mind Shakespeare himself— his two acolytes in flowing white roll around on the floor like the flipping pages of a book or unroll a long white prop piece like a manuscript.

Though he is something between a narrator, a prophet, and an instrument of destiny, he also becomes a personification of death. But he is reluctant to the last, his stoic pain unmissable. Often, his acolytes have to force his hands into the necessary work. This is a Death that is haunted by the many young lives he is forced to collect, like the fond narrator of The Book Thief. At times, he and his two acolytes also take on visual aspects of the trinity of fates- the spinner; the alotter; and the cutter, the inevitable, which is to say, death. Their three bodies form the ribbed wheel of a spindle. Their arms weave and interlock. Their hands cut a lifetime short.

As a natural symbol of church and Christ, he and his acolytes twist into the visual shape of a church, and he is frequently pulled up into the shape of a cross in the air. The messaging lies somewhere in the spectrum of “God is powerless to help you here” and “God wants this to happen and will accept no deviations,” in my opinion.

Left: Christopher d'Ariano, photo from opening night (my show) Right: Karel Cruz, footage from a previous production

There are some, I’m sure, who would prefer to focus directly on the tale of the young lovers without adornment. But the Friar provides a poignant outside point of view for the story. We find catharsis in this mirror of the audience’s own anger and grief in knowing every beat of the story before it ever begins. Cassandra’s powers were a curse for a reason; there is a special, personal kind of tragedy for the person who sees an oncoming disaster and is powerless to stop it. (Sound pertinent, anyone?)

Miles Pertl, the Friar in the secondary cast

In the most obvious moment of departure from the original script, the members of the houses attend a puppet show after the ball where our two lovers meet. With a black curtain held up, dancers wiggle around puppet heads that look like our main leads. At first, it’s all in-good-fun mockery of Romeo’s love for Juliet. But then the show continues. Tybalt goes for Benvolio. Mercutio gets in the way and goes down. Romeo strangles Tybalt, goes to Juliet. Kills himself. She, in turn, kills herself. The contrast between the silly style of puppet show and the reminder of the dark content that will follow brings to mind the cynicism of young generations who grow up with the belief that everything will crash down upon them. They might as well laugh and do their TikTok dances while the sky falls through no fault of their own. There is another message here as well: cautionary tales do no good if the people who need to hear refuse to listen. Romeo walks out when they mock him; he does not see the ending.

The middle portion of the puppet show in rehearsal

When the curtain finally falls, the puppet masters are revealed to be the Friar and his two acolytes, once again trying to tell the truth to anyone who will listen. Seeing this, I did wonder for a moment if it would all go differently. If the Friar and the company knew the ending, they could change the story and avert the fates of the dead. But it all played out as fated. After the Friar has given Juliet poison and Romeo has killed himself, the Friar creeps around the edge of a set piece to where the two lovers lie motionless. He sits down on the bed, barely looking at Romeo, who has been a dead man ever since the Friar first saw the future. When he reaches for Juliet’s hand to wake her up, he keeps his eyes elsewhere for her brief moments of joy before reality finds her. He creeps to a corner of the room and stares unwillingly at the wall while Juliet kills herself behind him. By the end, he has given up on changing anything. He just wants to play his required role so that it ends at last.

The Final Moment (Christopher d'Ariano)

Part II