Ever since Johnny Depp donned dreads, a drunken swagger and a camp, hail-my-hearty patter for the first Pirates of the Caribbean, 19th century pirates have been in vogue. Yet, a fascination with pirates probably wasn’t behind the decision by the Bolshoi Ballet’s Director Yuri Burlaka and former Bolshoi Director Alexei Ratmunksy to bring a revival of Le Corsaire, a romantic extravaganza of pashas, pirates and a pampered harem, to Brisbane.
Conceived in Tsarist Russia and first presented in 1856, Le Corsaire is one of the Bolshoi’s signature ballets and biggest hits. With lavish sets of a busy port, a palace, an Aladdinish cave and stormy sea the stage is at times teeming with smiling women personifying elegance in the face of their plight as sexual slaves. The darker edge to the convoluted plot, based on a poem by Byron, is well and truly swept under the orchestral pit in this frothy spectacular.
And there is no denying the entertainment value of this lavish production despite a truly silly story. The chintzy, bevilled costumes are inspired by the art of Evgeny Ponomareve. The sets are so detailed, there’s almost too much for the eye to take in during the first scene. The dancers are polished, skilled and dedicated, unswervingly elegant and seductively precise.
It’s about old school visual splendor, especially so in Act Two’s tutu and tulle-fuelled, anachronistic ‘Le Jardin Anime’. The manicured garden, sporting masses of flower baskets and portable rose bowers, is said to reflect the social strata of the Bolshoi’s female ranks. Those wanting to see male solos were treated to a string of uber-girly, delicate excursions into immaculately choreographed charm instead; from the beguiling dance of the heroine Medora (Alexandrova on opening night) Gulnare (Nina Kaptsova) and the ballet’s superbly elegant dancing chorus.
Originally a doff of the cap to idealized female form in Tsarist Russia, it all seemed overblown and superfluous today. A few of these saccharine demonstrations could well have been pruned to achieve a leaner duration than the whopping three hours and 20 minutes programmed.
Conrad (Vladislav Lantrato) cut a dashing figure as the swashbuckling object of Medora’s desire and was distinctive in the role’s famous showy solo. Except, as the Bolshoi had turned on the nostalgia button, there was an unrealistic expectation that a super charged Nureyev look-a-like would suddenly materialize to ignite the stage with superhuman leaps and gravity defying spins. After all, this legendary master had danced the leads and set in train an impossible path to follow. The male’s multiple pirouettes and tucked-leg jumps is one of the most commonly performed extracts worldwide, yet it fell a little flat. There was plenty of élan and bravura if not much chemistry between Lantrato and Alexandrova.
Adolphe Adam’s original score has been infused with other composers’ contributions over the years including Cesare Pugni, Grand Duke Peter II of Oldenburg. Léo Delibes, Léon Minkus, Prince Nikita Trubetskoi and Riccardo Drigo. As an orchestral hybrid it isn’t the most inspiring music, but a serviceable, tuneful springboard for choreographers. With conductor Pavel Sorokin at the helm, the QSO gave it more sparkle and luminous clarity than it deserves.
Yet, the evening was magical with plenty of wow factor despite any misgivings about the woeful yarn. All were enchanted by the dancers’ unswerving elegance and deceptively effortless, buffed and polished virtuosity, the graceful choreography and dreamy chocolate box direction that harked back to the golden, luxurious productions of yesteryear.
Le Corsaire
Bolshoi Ballet
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Lyric Theatre
30 May
