Theatre Australia 5(4) November 1980

Page 28

An exciting finale to the 1980 season of the Australian ballet. Following on the successful tour of The People’s Republic of China, and the inaugural tour of Australian cities and major country centres of The Dancers Company, the Australian Ballet is embarking on a guest star-filled last three months of the year in Melbourne and Sydney. In Melbourne the first thrill is the presentation of Russian defector Alek­ sandr Godunov in the role of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. It was in this role that Godunov made his debut with the Bolshoi Ballet and began his spectacular ascent to international fame. While with the Bolshoi, he also danced Vronsky in Anna Karenina, Don Jose in Carmen, Basil in Don Quixote, and Albrecht in Giselle. Since his defection last year, he has become a member of American Ballet Theatre and regularly appears as guest artist with major western ballet companies. The Melbourne season of Swan Lake will consist of seven performances (9-15 October) at the Palais Theatre, St. Kilda, and will also feature Michela Kirkaldie and Joanne Michel in the role of the Swan Queen. Joanne Michel’s debut in this role of roles is the result of ballerina Marilyn Rowe’s unexpected indisposition, and is surely in the tradition of "theatrical breaks". 21 year old Joanne is a soloist in The Australian Ballet and first claimed critics’ attention with her appearance as The Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote. Since then, she has danced the Leading Ballerina in Ballet Imperial (replacing injured Michela Kirkladie at the last minute), and several leading roles with The Dancers Company on their recent tour. The double role of Odette,/Odile is the greatest challenge of her career to date. The season of Swan Lake will be followed in Melbourne, by a week of Cinderella (17-23 October) featuring Sir Robert Helpmann in his inimitable interpretation of one of the Ugly Sisters, with Ray Powell as the other. The role of Cinderella and the Prince will be danced by each of the company’s principal artists alternately. SYDNEY During the period of rehearsing of Swan Lake and Cinderella, and in a separate studio altogether, some thorough prepara­ 26

T H E A T R E A U S T R A L I A N O V E M B E R 1980

Aleksandr Godunov. Photo: Martha Swope.

Valentina Kozlova.

tions are being made for the special 6 performance non-subscription season in Sydney’s Regent Theatre, of Anna Karenina. This season will serve as the Australian debut for beautiful Russian

ballerina Valentina Kozlova, who relin­ quished her status of Principal Artist in the Bolshoi Ballet when she and her husband Leonid Kozlov defected in the U.S. after the Bolshoi’s last performance in Los Angeles. Kozlova is one of those fortunate beings in whom the gods seem to have combined extraordinary facial and physical beauty with a strength and tenacity which enables her to tackle any role, ranging from those requiring the utmost lyricism to the greatest virtuosity. Anna Karenina will indeed be a treat to those who will be seeing in Sydney (27 October - 3 November). Also at the Regent Theatre, Sydney and immediately following Anna Karenina. The Australian Ballet will present Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, featuring Sir Robert Helpmann once more. Spanning the seasons in Melbourne and Sydney, rehearsals for the new 3 act ballet The Three Musketeers have been going on. The production department in Racecourse Road, Flemington have been in high gear for months, working on the 160 costumes, special effects and scenery for this mammoth new production from Andre Prokovsky. The Three Musketeers is created by the same team who gave us Anna Karenina (Prokovsky, Peter Farmer, Guy Wolfenden) and the result promises to be every bit as colourful, exhilarating and popular with audiences, as that work is. — Andrew Prokovsky has dreamt up some wonderful sword fighting sequences and hilarity for the Musketeers themselves and the "action" is interspersed with some magically beautiful pas de deux. While this will, I think, prove to be a real mens ballet, in that it will show off to great advantage, the strength of The Australian Ballet’s line-up of male danseurs, it will also help to bring into the public eye an up and coming young soloist, Sheree Rayment, who is dancing the role of the Queen of France (originally intended for Marilyn Rowe). The other female principal roles are those of Milady, (Michela Kirkaldie) and Constanze, (Ann Jenner) lady in waiting to the Queen of France. The seven male principal roles are: d ’Artagnon (Kelvin Coe), Buckingham (Gary Norman), The Musketeers (Dale Baker, David Burch, Paul de Mason), the Cardinal (Colin Peasley), The King of France (Ken Whitmore). There are seventeen scenes in the three acts, which include peasants, waitresses, beefeaters, beggars, children, the Car­ dinals’ guards, and even fire-eaters. The Three Musketeers will premiere in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House on 28 November and will run until 23 December. In Melbourne it will play 915 February 1981 in the Palais Theatre, St. Kilda.


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Theatre Australia 5(4) November 1980 by UOW Library - Issuu