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A good lesson for a dance critic, too. This is a fairy tale and all too often critics try to discern within it heavy handed analysis perhaps coming to the theater prepared to condemn rather than with an equal measure prepared to enjoy. The same can be said of librettists – it doesn’t really need much psycho-drama. I simply enjoyed it.

Whatever high wire flying fairies there were that garnered negative raves when this new production first premiered (June 1st 2007) – are gone – perhaps for good. The costumes (by Willa Kim) are sumptuous – lavish – glittering – bejeweled – and thank heavens – colorful. We’ve become so used to the pale pastels for major and supportive roles or the range of earth tones (brown and dull) for peasants (even when they are celebrating something) seeing real color is almost jarring but welcome. A ballet such as Sleeping Beauty should be an optical feast, a spectacle – a theatrical experience - and this production certainly is all of that.

Susan Jaffe, retired from principal roles in 2002 returned to play the Queen and she was loving as a mother and one could see why the King cherished her when she implored him to spare the lives of the four “village gossips” who contrary to his edit brought a spindle to the Court. He, danced by Roman Zhurbin, while properly kingly in proclaiming his edict (and other kingly duties) was much too stoical while watching his daughter dance with the deadly spindle or when she succumbed to the spell and swooned to the floor. Even a king can show emotion as a father.

Gillian Murphy was a beautiful Lilac Fairy – she didn’t simply dance well – she set jewels across the stage. She was tender, she was firm in her contravention of Carabosse, and she enticed and convinced the Prince to follow her to find a Sleeping Princess in a forbidding forest. Calm, sure, regal, she led the story forward and controlled it.

The Garland Dance didn’t dance for me. As much as I love color – yellow edging toward mustard with turquoise accents, didn’t quite fit the idea of flower garlands. Likewise the waltz itself never seemed to come together; it should be one of the highlights of the ballet. Two children were used and though they both accomplished with success their task – they were an interruption to the overall action of the waltz.

What a handsome Prince Désiré Jose Manuel Carreno made! One look would certainly be a pleasant sight to which to awaken – one look would convince the most modest princess. Julie Kent’s Aurora looked delighted. (The lady next to me was fanning herself.) He has the authority of a prince with the smile of a boyish happy heart.
 

The Vision Scene was introduced by a hunting excursion with the Prince and his friends – this is the first time we see him in the ballet. Catching sight (actual or imagined) of a castle on a remote hilltop leads him to a reverie and I thought – on no – not another moody prince a la Siegfried in Swan Lake! However, this scenario did give an opportunity for that rare happenstance – an adagio solo for a male dancer. To watch a male principal dancer alone on the stage sans mighty jumps and multiple turns is a real treat. Carreno is a fine dancer, an attentive partner and only lacks the edge of ballon when he does sail through the air. Of especial note regarding his partnering skills – in the series of fish dives in the Grand Pas de Deux – they were all so smooth, so quickly accomplished and truly beautiful. (I can’t help but wish this particular ballet lift/move had a more flattering balletic name!)

The female corps de ballet in the Vision Scene came into its own and danced as one – coordinated physically and musically. They completed the Vision – a difficult task very well done. In addition, the Prince’s friends acquitted themselves in a worthy manner and though I believe it is far more difficult for the male corps to coordinate their signature jumps and turns than it is for the women – they did.

Five fairies – Sincerity, Fervor, Charity, Joy and Valor – earned their applause, but especially, Zhong-Jing Fang as Joy. She was a delight: quick, clean, clear and yes, joyful. She is listed in the Company roster as a member of the corps de ballet, but evidently is destined for greater challenges.

Martine Van Hamel, retired from principal roles, performed as Carabosse and was a treat and then some. She invested the role with wicked anger and frustrated evil. Unrestrained by strict classical vocabulary, she let loose with her considerable dramatic gifts: an excellent counterpoise to Murphy’s “triumph over evil.”

Kent’s Aurora was a sweet well bred princess. There were none of the all too pervasive exaggerations one sees in classical ballet today. Arabesques did not exceed ninety degrees, penchés didn’t hit six o’clock and therefore obscure her Prince’s face and her lifted leg matched line for line with her arms and head – a thing not possible when extension is exaggerated. She let the classical lines, the choreography as originally conceived and her own fine proportions speak – no extenuation was necessary. She brought this classic role back to its classic base. In Aurora’s allegro pas when first entering the stage – she could have added a bit more eclat to the overall sweetness – a bit more stretch in the skimming movement.

The Rose Adagio deserved the enthusiastic response of the audience, was secure – but somehow not exciting. She didn’t eschew the proffered hands of the princes as some recent Auroras have done (a very unromantic circus addition, in my opinion), but she did take them a might too quickly. I like a more leisurely approach a la Fonteyn. What was exciting was the series of beautifully done cabriole derriére directly into renversé. Altogether Kent gave us a lesson in the precise sculpting of classical ballet lines rather than the over flung circus the art form has been approaching. By the end of the ballet, however, Kent’s smile had vanished and she looked strained.

The Blue Bird Grand Pas de Deux, danced by Gennadi Saveliev and Stella Abrera, was an interesting contrast to the principals. Saveliev is a more compact dancer with fine ballon. Abrera took advantage of her bird role and was a saucy, flickering delight: her high attitude derriére leg – close behind her head – fit the role – birdlike – quick – and in constant motion.
 

The various character dances in the Wedding Celebration such as Puss-in-Boots and Red Riding Hood were present but shortened with no great loss. In some productions I find the “joke” overdone. However, the silly business with Prince Charming putting on Cinderella’s slipper could be dispensed with altogether; it came across as someone grappling around a woman’s ankle – with no meaning to the story.

Mounting a new production of Sleeping Beauty is a major undertaking – costly, challenging and rife with potential problems. Nothing happens on a small scale – the result is either a triumph or a devastating failure because of the huge investment. This new production reminds us of the word “Theatre” in ABT’s name. I think it was great theatre. Carabosse arrives in a blinding meteoric flash of light and noise. Steam hisses, smoke swirls and rises in a column. At other times, such as the Vision Scene, mist softly eddies across the stage – the final ripples from the river in the set. The Lilac Fairy takes the Prince on a journey in a silver winged boat as panels of forest growth cross the other way. The OCPAC stage crew, silent and unseen behind the glitter, are the unsung heroes for all this smooth sailing: no blips to jar us back to reality.

While the sets (by Tony Walton) were visually interesting, I thought the entrance for dancers – a stairs coming around a castle tower - was unfortunate. This is certainly true for anyone sitting left of center. Also, rather incomprehensible is the separation of the King and Queen from their daughter – they do not join her in the long sleep. Of happier circumstance this production leaves in the mime – gives it time – making it clear and understandable. Marius Petipa’s choreography with additions by Kevin McKenzie and Gelsey Kirkland, survives.

Sometimes, instead of deep analysis it is worthwhile to cast one’s ears backward and listen to the audience as the story proceeds. I did that and caught nary a sound of coughing, no shuffling about – everyone seemed caught up in the action. And that’s the point isn’t it?

With all the color, the theatricality of this production, the lavish costuming as well as the dancing, I think the audience that fist saw this ballet at its birth in January 1890 on the stage of the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, would have loved it.

The orchestra played well, but under the baton of Charles Barker, at times, here and there, dragged the tempi a bit.