Word: ballets
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Pelzig's greatest success is in the role of Mercutio, brilliantly performed by Robert Wallace, because it succeeds in incorporating humorous acting with a healthy dose of solid ballet--something that seems missing everywhere else. Wallace is a delight to watch as he dances drunk, pirouettes, and step-dances off a stone bench; one wishes he were given the opportunity to dance the role of Romeo...
...seems as though Pelzig choreographed the ballet first and then tried to add the Prokofiev score piecemeal to the different scenes; on several occasions, the music and steps clash instead of blending together. During one of the most sweeping and dynamic moments in the music, Juliet stands unmoving, simply staring out the window. During the Capulets' ballroom scene, against the darkly throbbing beat maintained by the brass, the dancers go through a ridiculous melange of half-flamenco, half karate-chop arm movements, shattering the image created by the music...
...make matters worse, the orchestra--at least on opening night--sounds about as professional as a high school band. Squeaky horns and missed notes grate on the ear, and the entire orchestra seems disjointed and badly synchronized: throughout the ballet, one can hear different sections starting and stopping where the transitions should have been smooth. Though easily overlooked, a good pit orchestra is absolutely essential to a good ballet, because the music truly is half the performance. A dancer draws energy from the music; when it's off, so is the magic...
Despite the defects of choreography and orchestra, the lead dancers manage to partly salvage the ballet. As the starcrossed lovers, Patrick Armand and Pollyana Ribeiro are, in a word, stunning. Their remarkable artistry and faultless technique make the most out of their roles, though ultimately neither can overcome the flawed choreography. Ribeiro, usually "all technique," here proves that she, too, can turn simple steps into flowing movements as she lets her character's emotions make her image softer and more beautiful. In her interactions with the Nurse, and in the crucial solo in which she wavers over whether...
...Thompson a perfect Lady Capulet, though there is no conceivable reason why her character should be on pointe. Oddly enough, Pelzig throws in a hint of incest between Tybalt and Lady Capulet--maybe it's just the acting, but they certainly seem a little too uncomfortably close throughout the ballet...