But there can still be some surprises. On Thursday night, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra had completed the surprisingly modern-sounding overture (Scarlatti, arr. Kurt-Heinz Stoltze) and had the first scene well underway when the set darkened, the orchestra fizzled to a halt and Artistic Director Ivan Cavallari came on stage to announce that Kate (Jane Smeulders) had twisted her ankle and could not continue. The role would be taken by Fiona Evans, who had never before danced the part with that evening’s Petruchio (Filip Barankiewicz).
Cavallari was remarkably relaxed about it, I thought, and in retrospect I can see his laid-back manner came from trust in his performers, for Evans was nothing short of brilliant. Despite the undoubted stress of going on cold with a new partner, she caught Kate’s rebellious character perfectly, and the comic aspects shone all the brighter for being character-driven rather than tacked on as forced embellishments.
There were a few hair-raising moments in the difficult Act II pas de deux, when a fumbled catch could well have sent both dancers tumbling to the floor, but they pushed through, fully in character, to receive a well-earned round of applause. Barankiewicz deserves a medal for his sympathetic and confident partnering throughout what must have been a hair-raising test for both partners, even though that hair raising was not at all apparent from the front stalls.
Cranko’s work is always witty and full of variety, reflecting and reinforcing character. His choreography is not easy, especially in the double work. Flashy technical feats are always part of the action, not just clever gymnastics designed to impress. The West Australian Ballet is lucky in that Cavallari spent several years with the Stuttgart Company and is thus well-schooled in the master’s style as well as the actual steps. Furthermore, he has danced both Petruchio and Lucentio himself, so is well aware of the possibilities and pitfalls. Despite his confidence, I suspect his heart was in his mouth as he watched that Act II duo from his box. However, Brankiewicz is a noted exponent of Petruchio’s role and he did not let such a ‘minor matter’ as a brand-new partner affect his performance. (There’s a superb clip on YouTube of him dancing Petruchio’s ‘drunken’ variation from Act I’s wedding scene.)
The West Australian Ballet has clung closely to the Stuttgart Ballet’s original production, and for the most part this works well. Forty years on, some of the high camp antics of Hortensio (Mark Dennis) and Gremio (Andre Santos) wear a bit thin, but even so, they brought enough laughs to justify their retention and Santos gets an extra pat on the back for his amusing dubbing of the bird-like tweets provided by his serenade music. Overall, Dennis and Santos and their partners, Meg Parry and Victoria Maughan, provided a comedic thread that would have made Shakespeare proud.
Mention should also be made of the lovely pairing of Andrea Parkyn and Daniel Roberts as Bianca and Lucentio. They provided a much-needed foil for the tempestuous wooing of Kate by the heavy-handed Petruchio. The expanded company enabled the presentation of a rich, exuberant performance. The entire ensemble appeared seamless, with the company’s regulars, a double handful of WAAPA students and even four delightful children contributing generously to the mix.
Costumes were based on the original Elisabeth Dalton designs, and wisely so, for I’d challenge anyone to come up something better. The sets were also lovely, ranging from the realistic architectural components of the courting and wedding scenes to a vaulting horse on wheels, towed by a third dancer in front of an abstract flat while Kate and Petruchio rode the beast. (Well, Petruchio rode: Kate was more often clinging to its underside or falling off completely.) The whole was well served by lighting by Steen Bjarke.
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Myron Romanul, gave us a spirited and skilful rendering of Kurt-Heinz Stoltze’s Scarlatti-based score. The original harpsichord sonatas still shine through, especially in the keyboard passages, rendered on piano and harpsichord and blending beautifully with the rich tones of the orchestral instruments.
Judging from the number of curtain calls, the packed house gave this fine performance five stars, so I will do likewise.
Rating: Five stars
The West Australian Ballet presents
The Taming of the Shrew
Artistic Director Ivan Cavallari
Ballet Mistress: Eva Zmekova
Ballet Master: Craig Lord-Sole
Technical Director: Jon Buswell
Wardrobe Manager: Sara Walker
Cast includes Filip Barankiewicz (guest artist), Fiona Evans, Andrea Parkyn, Daniel Roberts, Mark Dennis, Andre Santos, Meg Parry, Victoria Maugham, Milo Mutavdzic, Guangchen Fu, William Banks, Benjamin Marett, Matthew Lehmann and Robert Mills.
WASO conducted by Myron Romanul, Concert Master: Giulio Plotino, Violin: Margaret Blades, Keyboard: Graeme Gilling
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
September 9 – 24
