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March 25, 1999, Ottawa Sun
By Eve Emonds
There’s nothing like a good blood-sucking ballet to make the side of your neck tingle.
While Mark Godden’s Dracula, staged by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet last night at the National Arts Centre, is not uniformly spell-binding, it does have bite.
Just the fact it’s a contemporary, full-length ballet gives the show merit. Although the three-act spectacle has been the hallmark of classical ballet – as in Swan Lake and Giselle – it’s too rarely attempted in this more modern, abstract era.
Godden’s Dracula is set to various movements from three Mahler symphonies, wonderfully performed by the NAC Orchestra.
Choosing the music was perhaps the most critical challenge Godden faced in creating this ballet. The fact he’s used one composer gives the score unity, yet the different movements allow Godden control over how the story is told. Speaking of the story, Godden, for the most part, has remained true to Bream Stoker’s novel.
The first act tells the story of Lucy Westenra, who has already fallen victim to the blood-thirsty count. Right off the bat, excuse the pun, we’re into some good old blood-lusting drama.
Lucy, danced last night with great flare by Tara Birtwhistle, is well into her decent. She’s exhibiting signs of paranoia as well as an uncontrollable urge to bite the neck of her suitors.
It’s always fun to see one of those prissy ballerinas turn so naughty.
There is a wonderful blend of intrigue and humour in this act. The gargoyles who come creeping around Lucy’s bed let us know Godden is refusing to take any of this too seriously.
The second act opens with a funny synopsis of the story of Dracula, narrated at rapid-fire speed and pantomimed by the dancers. It’s a clever bit that helps orient the audience.
The second scene is supposed to be a “bacchanal. . . that reflects different aspect of Dracula and the world.” However, other than the fact one dance is dressed as a werewolf, there is little to suggest the folklore of the shape-shifter.
Rather, it appears more like an excuse for Godden to simply create some choreography without being tied to storytelling. As pretty as much of this choreography is, it’s too unrelated to the rest of the ballet.
The beginning of the third act gets bogged down in details but the final scene in Dracula’s castle is suitably suspenseful, thanks largely to Paul Daigle’s elegantly creepy set design.
I can’t say this is a fantastic ballet. Godden’s choreography lacks a certain richness and complexity. But it’s a good story well told. It’s also an ambitious undertaking, which in itself is laudable.
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