dance expedition-o
Aug. 14th, 2009 04:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burntcopperWent to see Shall We Dance - A Tribute to Richard Rodgers by Adam Cooper at Sadler's Wells in the company of a certain clanwilliam and gmh. Gideon is completely responsible for that evening's certain rain. I know this is true. Since we were already ensconced in the pub garden when he got there. Jen was eyeing us suspiciously at one point due to me advising her husband on where to get the best glitter eyeliner. (Gideon as a reminder, it's Collection 2000 for glitter, Gosh for metallic/colour - but Gosh is £7 a pop)
Shall We Dance was overall good.
It's a sequence of dances loosely linked by one man’s search for love around the world, chasing after a different girl in every place whilst always missing the 'right' one, set to a medley of Richard Rodgers’music – everything from Oklahoma to Slaughter on 10th Avenue, via Sound of Music, South Pacific and his ballets, as choreographed and danced by Adam Cooper and ensemble. Overall, I’d probably give it four stars. The first half, set in a cocktail bar (jive), a ballroom, and the Russian countryside (Russian folk, with added puppet show – odd but funny) gets a little samey and the choreography, though beautifully danced, blurs together somewhat. I’ll add a special mention to the bloke who joins him on the journey when he gets kicked out of the cocktail bar, since the matey pairing works very well and they do a wonderful drunken stumble around the place (and of course we were slashing them. What do you take us for?). And to quote Jen, everything Adam knows about choreography, he learned from Ivanov and Matthew Bourne. It's not bad and works pretty well most of the time, it's just... I think the boy needs some more time to get his own style. Seriously. he can be bloody distinctive. Zorro, where he was the one who developed the role of the baddy and then left when they cut a song or two out when it transferred to the West End, there are moments where you go '...okay, it's fucking obvious who originated the role'. Cocktail bar, he's a waiter getting hit on by rich woman, ballroom, he's being a pillock and trying to put the moves on a married woman, and Russian, the girl ends up with his mate. Russian they were trying for something different, and it really didn't gel too well.
Second half? redeemed any problems of the first. First dance is set in the Far East - Thai-ish. Costumes are gorgeous, all bright jewel coloured silks. Princess being escorted by some very negligent maids in waiting, since she sneaks off and does a fucking *gorgeous*, delicate dance with him - mostly ballet, I think, with a few eastern bits. Ensemble, we get a dragon dance and mexican wave columns of hand movements which were really funny as well as being graceful and lovely to look at. However, local lads dislike the fact that princess is interested in outsider, so they beat him up and shove him in a barrel. Lots of barrel being rolled round and turned over, being done with some glee. it ends up at a hoedown, where he gets fished out. (Jen is predicting he gets pulled out arse-first for the final performance) The hoedown is full-on tap and glee and the company having way too much fun. Oklahoma and Seven Brides and so on. However, Adam is a bastard. he stuck a bit from Lonely Goatherd (yes, Sound of Music Lonely Goatherd, you heard that right) in the middle and you could see the ripple of shocked giggles as the realisation went across the audience. Conclusion : Adam, wear a check shirt more often. It's only a pity you weren't wearing jeans during that bit too. (for those following the story, the thing with the girl just doesn't go anywhere since she didn't realise he was that interested)
Finally, we get to some US city, red light district, Slaughter on 10th Ave time. Pimps, hookerss, sleazeball with lots of eighties-ish gear. Cue utterly lost obviously just in the game girl (Sarah Wildor, who is now up to normal weight since the baby as opposed to dancer skinny) who Adam takes a shine to out of sympathy and buys her for a night. Cue jaw-dropping piece of mournful sensitivity which is one of those unbelievable examples of partner dancing. Chemistry, familiarity, trust, you name it. I'd seen Adam on the Swan Lake dvd, but not Sarah before. please do more together. Sadly, the pimp comes back and shoots her as an example. Adam's character shoots pimp. Him and right girl finally recognise each other properly and get together.
Anyway, recommended if only for the second half. oh, and you know the slash bit? When it came to this bit where he's going over his past fuck-ups pre-the city bit, his mate gets brought in as giant emotional loved and lost along with the girls. Slightly pouty that we never got predatory Adam, which is what he's damn good at. oh well. Also, forgot - the projections light show for background tended to be simple and lovely, the orchestra at the back above the stage, and so often had stuff projected on them. We approve.
Due to it being a Whatsonstage expedition, we got free drink and a Q&A after with Adam and two of the cast, both of whom duly took the piss out of him. and cannot believe they only had four weeks rehearsal time. Bloody hell. Jen went up to him after and monopolised the boy, got a hug and kiss, enquired after the sprog, introed 'this is Gideon, the husband, and Heather'. To which I added brightly 'I'm the concubine.' hello to my life. Also, he has confirmed that his next ambition is a 3-act meditation on The Lonely Goatherd.
Shall We Dance was overall good.
It's a sequence of dances loosely linked by one man’s search for love around the world, chasing after a different girl in every place whilst always missing the 'right' one, set to a medley of Richard Rodgers’music – everything from Oklahoma to Slaughter on 10th Avenue, via Sound of Music, South Pacific and his ballets, as choreographed and danced by Adam Cooper and ensemble. Overall, I’d probably give it four stars. The first half, set in a cocktail bar (jive), a ballroom, and the Russian countryside (Russian folk, with added puppet show – odd but funny) gets a little samey and the choreography, though beautifully danced, blurs together somewhat. I’ll add a special mention to the bloke who joins him on the journey when he gets kicked out of the cocktail bar, since the matey pairing works very well and they do a wonderful drunken stumble around the place (and of course we were slashing them. What do you take us for?). And to quote Jen, everything Adam knows about choreography, he learned from Ivanov and Matthew Bourne. It's not bad and works pretty well most of the time, it's just... I think the boy needs some more time to get his own style. Seriously. he can be bloody distinctive. Zorro, where he was the one who developed the role of the baddy and then left when they cut a song or two out when it transferred to the West End, there are moments where you go '...okay, it's fucking obvious who originated the role'. Cocktail bar, he's a waiter getting hit on by rich woman, ballroom, he's being a pillock and trying to put the moves on a married woman, and Russian, the girl ends up with his mate. Russian they were trying for something different, and it really didn't gel too well.
Second half? redeemed any problems of the first. First dance is set in the Far East - Thai-ish. Costumes are gorgeous, all bright jewel coloured silks. Princess being escorted by some very negligent maids in waiting, since she sneaks off and does a fucking *gorgeous*, delicate dance with him - mostly ballet, I think, with a few eastern bits. Ensemble, we get a dragon dance and mexican wave columns of hand movements which were really funny as well as being graceful and lovely to look at. However, local lads dislike the fact that princess is interested in outsider, so they beat him up and shove him in a barrel. Lots of barrel being rolled round and turned over, being done with some glee. it ends up at a hoedown, where he gets fished out. (Jen is predicting he gets pulled out arse-first for the final performance) The hoedown is full-on tap and glee and the company having way too much fun. Oklahoma and Seven Brides and so on. However, Adam is a bastard. he stuck a bit from Lonely Goatherd (yes, Sound of Music Lonely Goatherd, you heard that right) in the middle and you could see the ripple of shocked giggles as the realisation went across the audience. Conclusion : Adam, wear a check shirt more often. It's only a pity you weren't wearing jeans during that bit too. (for those following the story, the thing with the girl just doesn't go anywhere since she didn't realise he was that interested)
Finally, we get to some US city, red light district, Slaughter on 10th Ave time. Pimps, hookerss, sleazeball with lots of eighties-ish gear. Cue utterly lost obviously just in the game girl (Sarah Wildor, who is now up to normal weight since the baby as opposed to dancer skinny) who Adam takes a shine to out of sympathy and buys her for a night. Cue jaw-dropping piece of mournful sensitivity which is one of those unbelievable examples of partner dancing. Chemistry, familiarity, trust, you name it. I'd seen Adam on the Swan Lake dvd, but not Sarah before. please do more together. Sadly, the pimp comes back and shoots her as an example. Adam's character shoots pimp. Him and right girl finally recognise each other properly and get together.
Anyway, recommended if only for the second half. oh, and you know the slash bit? When it came to this bit where he's going over his past fuck-ups pre-the city bit, his mate gets brought in as giant emotional loved and lost along with the girls. Slightly pouty that we never got predatory Adam, which is what he's damn good at. oh well. Also, forgot - the projections light show for background tended to be simple and lovely, the orchestra at the back above the stage, and so often had stuff projected on them. We approve.
Due to it being a Whatsonstage expedition, we got free drink and a Q&A after with Adam and two of the cast, both of whom duly took the piss out of him. and cannot believe they only had four weeks rehearsal time. Bloody hell. Jen went up to him after and monopolised the boy, got a hug and kiss, enquired after the sprog, introed 'this is Gideon, the husband, and Heather'. To which I added brightly 'I'm the concubine.' hello to my life. Also, he has confirmed that his next ambition is a 3-act meditation on The Lonely Goatherd.
