Somnolent 'Beauty' at Boston Ballet

The Boston Ballet has a fabulous reputation, and a well-deserved one at that. Its dancers hail from all over the world. The costumes in its productions are nothing short of spectacular. Even the Wang Center itself is a magnificent building--one could stare for hours at the ceiling alone and still not witness all of its glorious details.

So why does the latest production of "The Sleeping Beauty" cause more than a few yawns to trickle through the audience?

What exactly makes this ballet dull is difficult to pinpoint. The costumes are absolutely marvelous. Much attention has been paid to even the smallest details--so much attention, in fact, that it becomes difficult for an audience member several feet away to truly appreciate all of the workmanship put into making them.

The large number of exquisite gowns and robes swirling across the stage makes it nearly impossible for anyone to drink in all of the surrounding splendor simultaneously. An audience member could easily be left with one of two things--either a sore neck from trying to see everything occurring on stage all at once, or sore eyes from squinting to see just how many sequins the Boston Ballet costumers can fit onto one square inch of material.

The musical score itself, courtesy of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, could be at fault. During the prologue, the orchestra remains just a little bit off beat, but enough to make one sit up and take notice. Fortunately conductor Jonathan McPhee soon shepherds his fellow musicians into a warm, rolling succession of tunes you'll be sure to recognize from the Walt Disney cartoon. (Hint--if you go to a matinee showing, expect to hear at least four little future prima donnas around you singing along with the "Once Upon A Dream" segment.) The score is simply so relaxing and lucid that it's practically therapeutic. Don't consider yawning to be an insult--rather, consider it a compliment to the music's charming tranquillity. You'll feel a lot less guilty when it happens.

Perhaps the dancers themselves instigate drowsiness. Robert Wallace (Prince Desire) leaps amazingly and dances divinely, but he is still missing something. The sparkling enthusiasm that lit up some of Boston Ballet's previous productions, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Hot and Cool," simply cannot be found in his graceful yet lackluster style.

The Lilac Fairy, danced by Emily Gresh, was a vision of regal magnificence. The majestic power she brought to her role was a marvelous sight to behold, yet she seemed slightly out of place. She appeared even more royal and dignified than the monarchs themselves did.

Fortunately, the casting of Larissa Ponomarenko as Princess Aurora proved a bit more appropriate. One can easily envision Ponomarenko as a bubbly, vivacious 16-year-old once she begins fluttering across stage with a quirky elegance unmatched by anyone else in the production.

All in all, Boston Ballet's latest performance of "The Sleeping Beauty" is a highly-publicized parade of elegant costumes and graceful classical ballet...and very little else. The layers upon layers of sequins in the dancers' tutus sparkle beautifully, but the show's general atmosphere does not. The show is indeed a marvel to watch.

But if you're looking for the same pizzazz and energy that has lit the Wang Center's stage throughout the 1995-96 season, your best bet is to wait until next year, and let "The Sleeping Beauty" slowly ease back into a doze.