escape from social RHYME or REASON

IT IS A STORY OF LOVE AND PRIDE, OF SORROW and tragedy, and it is being performed by the Boston Ballet now through Feb. 16 at the Wang Center. The ballet Onegin, choreographed by John Cranko in 1965, is based on the 19th century poem Eugene Onegin by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, and set to music by Tchaikovsky. Pushkin's poem recounts the tragic love story of an innocent young woman, Tatiana, and the brooding Russian nobleman, Eugene Onegin, who breaks her heart. From the opening scene in the Russian countryside to the final denouement in Tatiana's bedroom, Cranko's ballet matches the passion and beauty of Pushkin's poetry, using carefully selected music written by Tchaikovsky--none of it taken from his own opera Eugene Onegin.

As the curtain opens on the sisters Tatiana and Olga in the garden of their estate, the light and airy pastels of the scenery form an ideal backdrop for the light-hearted dancing and the lovely innocence of young Tatiana (Larissa Ponamarenko), who is absorbed in a book. With the arrival of Olga's lover, Lensky, the young couple dance with neighborhood friends. Lensky is accompanied by his friend Onegin (Laszlo Berdo), a handsome Russian nobleman clad in black, with whom Tatiana immediately falls in love. That evening Tatiana composes a love letter to Onegin, and falls asleep only to dream of him coming to her through the mirror in her room, thus beginning a tenderly beautiful pas de deux, superbly danced by Ponamarenko and Berdo. The choreography reflects the growing love of the young girl, with the steps and movements sweeping from the floor to lifts into the air. As the music builds, so does the emotion and intricacy of the steps until the scene ends with Tatiana sending her letter to Onegin. Larissa Ponamarenko is a beautifully delicate Tatiana who in each lift seems to be wafted like a feather on a breath of air.

Act II opens with Tatiana's birthday party, with girls in deep orange, red, and brown dresses that resemble autumn leaves swirling across the stage. Lensky exuberantly expresses his ardent love for Olga as the party gets underway. Pollyana Ribeiro dances the role of Olga with strong technique and an attractively flirtatious smile. She is more than well matched by Lensky, danced by the amazing Patrick Armand, whose impishly pouty grin, high jumps, and perfectly sustained balances and pirouettes are always a pleasure to watch. During a pause in the festivities, Onegin spurns Tatiana and rips her letter up, letting the pieces fall into her trembling hands. He then goes on to flirt with Olga until an enraged Lensky challenges his friend to a duel. As the scene shifts to the gray and gloomy glade where the duel is to take place, Lensky dances alone in his agony over what is to come. Armand has an incredibly expressive face, and Lensky's solo ends with him lying on the ground in his misery. Tatiana and Olga arrive to try to persuade the two friends not to fight, but in vain; and in the duel, Onegin kills Lensky. Olga crumples to the ground as her sister grieves, and Onegin, finally struck by remorse, staggers emotionally across the stage as the curtain falls.

The third and final act opens several years later in the ornate palace ballroom of Prince Gremin. Tatiana, now his wife, has grown into a mature and beautiful woman; clad in a lovely rose-colored dress, she demonstrates her devotion to her husband as they dance before their guests. The now gray-haired Onegin returns from his wanderings only to find that the Prince's wife was once the young girl whose love he rejected. Berdo exhibits a deep understanding of Onegin's regret and sorrow in his portrayal of the character's painful moment of discovery. In the final scene, Tatiana is in her room reading a love letter from Onegin. He comes to see her, and once again they are swept up into a passionate pas de deux: clearly, Tatiana's feelings for Onegin were never completely crushed. The tortured feelings of love and despair are captured both by the climaxing score and by Cranko's choreography. Ponamarenko and Berdo complements the technical perfection of their steps with an intensity of emotion that draws the audience to a breaking point as Tatiana pulls Onegin across the stage only to fall on his chest. In the end, however, her loyalty to her husband prevails, and in a sad twist of fate, she rips up Onegin's letter and with a pained expression points to the door. As Onegin leaves, Tatiana stands desolate, head and eyes lifted upward and arms stretched down by her sides.

This final moment reduced more than a few spectators to tears, and as the curtain rose for the final bows, the audience leaped to a standing ovation. Boston Ballet has truly triumphed in presenting this tale of love, pride, and heart-wrenching denial.