Whoops, I’ve been having so much fun I barely go online. It’s very refreshing to miss out on all the negative media! I think we need a break from warring politicos, the recession, and reality TV. Except that I’m addicted to Millionaire Matchmaker. She cracks me up! In one of the episodes, the matchmaker asked a girl with smears of makeup if she was a hooker! Love it. Frankly, if I had to pick one reality show to watch, it would be Millionaire Matchmaker. Ooh and Top Chef would be second.
Last week, I went to the NYC Ballet. I paid a fortune to see Paul McCartney’s first foray into creating the score for the ballet Ocean’s Kingdom. I’ve been, off and on, a season ticket holder to the SF Ballet and desperately have been wanting to watch the NYC Ballet. This was the perfect opportunity. The program started out with Ocean’s Kingdom which is new and contemporary, followed by a traditional Balanchine ballet the Union Jack.
What the NYC Ballet lacked in quality of dance, they made up for with costumes, set design, and theatrics. Ouch! I know that’s a harsh statement, but the SF ballerinas make the NYC ballerinas look like they’re in beginning ballet. Their moves were dull and simple. Sign me up to be a NYC ballerina because I could mimic everything they were doing.
The costumes for Ocean’s Kingdom were designed by Paul’s daughter Stella McCartney. Light and airy fabrics for the fairies. A dark and menacing look for the villains. They were gorgeous. The couple next to me, however, said that the arts critic for the NYTimes panned the ballet and called the costumes garish. I agree that McCartney’s ballet was an overall flop. The plot lacked substance and was so nauseatingly predictable. But I did enjoy the music and the costumes. The McCartney’s should press on. Practice makes perfect.
I’ll also note that the NYC Ballet program guide had full pages of donor names compared to poor little SF Ballet. I would urge ballet aficionados to watch an SF ballet, especially with my favorite principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan. Catch her before she retires. There’s no one like her.
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