Rhapsody on a theme of swans
May. 28th, 2005 10:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pensnestBack home after a few days being a good and noble daughter-in-law ministering to a pa who's just come out of hospital.
While I was there, I took the opportunity to re-watch one of my favourite DVDs, something which I strenuously recommend to any slash fan with an ounce or more of aesthetic sensibility (that's all of you, right?).
What am I talking about? About Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, that's what. The ballet with the male swans (and much, much more). I took my family to see it at Sadlers Wells theatre last December, and it was the most emotional experience I have ever had in the theatre. I had never willingly been to see a ballet before, but this one grabbed my attention right from the moment it began. I laughed, a lot - a good deal of the first act was laugh-out-loud *funny*, something I had not expected from a ballet. The second act (the one with the swans) was absolutely beautiful: the Prince's duets with his Swan were gorgeous. The third act was mostly about sex, with the Swan/Stranger looking deadly in leather trousers, and bearing a whip, and that amazingly erotic dance where the two of them are partnered with women but cannot take their eyes off one another. The fourth act was heartbreaking. By the end, I had tears pouring down my face, and sobs trying to leap up through my throat.
I could - but I won't - go into all sorts of details about the story, but understanding comes after the fact. In the theatre, it bypassed my intellect completely and went straight to my heart.
Lucky USAians - New Adventures are touring with Swan Lake in 2006. Their website, with details, is here I saw Jason Piper (yum) and Christopher Marney, but have read equally good things about the other cast.
Those of us who don't happen to be in the right place to experience this wonderful thing live can make do with a DVD. The original cast - with the delicious Adam Cooper as the Swan/Stranger - was recorded. It ain't the same as seeing it all on stage, but Bun and I still find ourselves inclined to weep at the end. And an advantage of being directed to watch specific moments is that the details of the story become clearer than they are when you have a whole stageful to choose from. Even if you've no interest in ballet (as I haven't), put this on your birthday present list. It is wonderful.
On a quite different note, I'd be very grateful to anyone American who'd be willing to beta for an under-construction SDBs story I'm doing for the Reunion Challenge. It's basically gen with a few rude words, and probably rather sappy, but I want to make sure the culture-specific refs don't jar - plus, of course, that the story works. Any takers?
While I was there, I took the opportunity to re-watch one of my favourite DVDs, something which I strenuously recommend to any slash fan with an ounce or more of aesthetic sensibility (that's all of you, right?).
What am I talking about? About Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, that's what. The ballet with the male swans (and much, much more). I took my family to see it at Sadlers Wells theatre last December, and it was the most emotional experience I have ever had in the theatre. I had never willingly been to see a ballet before, but this one grabbed my attention right from the moment it began. I laughed, a lot - a good deal of the first act was laugh-out-loud *funny*, something I had not expected from a ballet. The second act (the one with the swans) was absolutely beautiful: the Prince's duets with his Swan were gorgeous. The third act was mostly about sex, with the Swan/Stranger looking deadly in leather trousers, and bearing a whip, and that amazingly erotic dance where the two of them are partnered with women but cannot take their eyes off one another. The fourth act was heartbreaking. By the end, I had tears pouring down my face, and sobs trying to leap up through my throat.
I could - but I won't - go into all sorts of details about the story, but understanding comes after the fact. In the theatre, it bypassed my intellect completely and went straight to my heart.
Lucky USAians - New Adventures are touring with Swan Lake in 2006. Their website, with details, is here I saw Jason Piper (yum) and Christopher Marney, but have read equally good things about the other cast.
Those of us who don't happen to be in the right place to experience this wonderful thing live can make do with a DVD. The original cast - with the delicious Adam Cooper as the Swan/Stranger - was recorded. It ain't the same as seeing it all on stage, but Bun and I still find ourselves inclined to weep at the end. And an advantage of being directed to watch specific moments is that the details of the story become clearer than they are when you have a whole stageful to choose from. Even if you've no interest in ballet (as I haven't), put this on your birthday present list. It is wonderful.
On a quite different note, I'd be very grateful to anyone American who'd be willing to beta for an under-construction SDBs story I'm doing for the Reunion Challenge. It's basically gen with a few rude words, and probably rather sappy, but I want to make sure the culture-specific refs don't jar - plus, of course, that the story works. Any takers?
