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Bolshoi BalletAugust 2007 London, Coliseum by Charlotte Kasner |
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Bright Stream was the surprise success of the season during the Bolshoi's last visit, and it didn't disappoint this season either. Although it is hardly deep, it bears a second viewing surprisingly well, not least due to Boris Messerer's glorious set. I wonder how many man hours it took to paint that level of detail? We have no idea of Lopukhov's original choreography, but Ratmansky understands the context perfectly well and is not at all afraid to see the brasher side of Shostakovitch at a time when the world's concert halls are emphasising the tragic in his work. Poor Shostakovitch had precious little luck with his ballets and, according to Yuri Grigorovich, steadfastly refused to allow them to be re-done. Grigorovich did begin work on Bolt (there is a snippet of film with Irek Mukhemedev rehearsing it) but, again, it has been left to Ratmansky to bring it to life finally. It is difficult to see anything wrong with Bright Stream's innocuous plot and score, but times were not auspicious and, whilst it didn't quite sink without trace, it has taken more than seventy years for it to come to life again.
The dancers seem to enjoy being able to fling themselves into the comedy. Osipova shines as the Ballerina and Andrei Merkuriev's Pyotr warms as the foolish, boy-next-door type husband. In many ways this could be a 1940's Judy Garland musical, the preppy costume styles of the 1920's having echoes thirty years later in the youth fashions of the USA and the storyline having a "Let's do the show right here" fell to it. Alexei Loparevich was reminiscent of Lance Percival as the Old Dacha Dweller and, if he was good, Anastasia Vinokur playing his wife would have stolen the show were it not for Yan Godovsky's travesty sylph.
 © John Ross
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