The Australian Ballet
SWAN LAKE
STATE THEATRE, ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE REVIEWED: SEPTEMBER 19
Visually glorious, this production pays homage to an earlier version by Ann Woolliams.
FOR this new production of Swan Lake, David Hallberg has returned to Ann Woolliams's production, created in 1977 when she was artistic director of the company. It is a traditional four-act version, but with the first and second acts merged into one. Most of the original choreography has been retained, but refreshed with new design, for which Hallberg has collaborated with US designers Mara Blumenfeld (costumes) and Daniel Ostling (set).
The main changes are to the famous second and fourth acts. While the first and third act retain conventional built set design, for the iconic "white" acts the design is clearly driven by a more contemporary mindset, using projected light and simple, abstract forms. Linking the two sensibilities is a huge swan wing projected onto the front scrim: isolated like this it can be admired as both a beautiful natural form and also an abstract shape.
The ballet opens with a short prelude which places the story immediately in its otherworld setting, showing a group of swans pleading to be released from Rothbart's spell. (The effect is shattered somewhat by the clattering of the pointe shoes as the swans retreat into the wings.) The curtain then rises on the first act court scene, part indoor and out, with the forest suggested in the background. The action plunges without much preamble into the dancing, with a lovely waltz for the whole ensemble before moving into the traditional divertissement. The storytelling is kept to a minimum – I can't help wondering how clear the action would be to the uninitiated in the audience. However, Prince Siegfried's predicament is clear – he is drawn as a lonely character; even his usual companion, Benno, is nowhere to be seen in this version. The act finishes with the Prince's folorn, yearning
