Review: Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada's Production of "Amadeus"
Critic: Tonianne Bellomo

Sunday’s performance of Amadeus at Brooklyn College’s Walt Whitman Theater was a perfect marriage between theater and ballet, full of passion but with the control that one would expect from a classical art. The Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada’s production of Amadeus was brilliant. The story of the genius musician, who was played by Leigh Alderson, was beautifully brought to life with simple set design and a great combination of classical ballet and modern dance.

Leigh Alderson played a wonderful Mozart. The Irish born, Royal Ballet School trained dancer, melded technique with passion, dancing beautifully and really making the viewer believe his agony and ecstasy. His steps were fluid and full of creativity, invoking the characteristics that Mozart was known for; and his ability to bring his character from the height of happiness to the depths of despair was breathtaking. His true triumph was at the end, when dancing to Mozart’s Requiem. His ability to portray the artist as he struggled through writing his last work was awe-inspiring.

Sergiy Diyanov played Antonio Salieri, Mozart’s competitor and the man who pushed the ill-fated musician to complete his last work. In contrast Alderson’s fluid dancing, Diyanov dances were more rigid and controlled, conforming to a more classical technique, just as Salieri was known to have done. He captured the essence of his character and his dances with Alderson and the other male dancers were exquisite.

What I really loved about this work was the fact that male dancers were pushed to the forefront. Diyanov and Alderson often worked together, a stark change from the typical male and female combinations I’m used to. Their dancing carried the meaning of the story so that, even if you weren’t familiar with the history between Mozart and Salieri, you would be able to understand the plot. There was a tension between them at all times, a play back and forth. Their work with Anya Nesvitaylo, who played the Muse, was some of the best dancing in the show.

Nesvitaylo was, by far, the best female dancer on the stage. Her interpretation of the muse that seduced both Salieri and Mozart was phenomenal.  The other ballerinas danced very well but they did not stand out as much. Whether or not that was an artistic choice by the director of the company, Igor Dobrovolskiy, I would have liked to see more confidence in the other ballerinas. Still, overall, the female dancers performed beautifully and were a great support to Alderson and Diyanov.

The set design should also be applauded. It was simple but elegantly so. There were some projections in the back (most memorable was the passing of seasons represented through stark images of falling leaves and snowflakes), music stands, and a piano. The plain set was a perfect backdrop to the over the top dancing, making sure the viewer wasn’t overwhelmed but was able to concentrate on the dancers. When bringing the Requiem to life, the company chose to really keep it plain, resorting to dark garb for the ensemble dancers and stark lighting. Mozart himself was stripped of his more ornate wear and was given just pants and a long overcoat that hung open. Towards the end, he was even stripped of his coat, showing how he had fallen into poverty and had given everything to his music. The end was absolute perfection. With the piano as his sepulcher, Mozart’s hands are the only things visible as the piano is pushed to center stage. There, the light beams down with sand falling upon the piano.

This production was striking and beautiful. It featured music by both Mozart and Salieri, which was a wonderful soundtrack to the choreography that was a combination of classical and modern technique. This company did a fantastic job of adding theatrics to the ballet world and I would love to see their work again. -TB

(Originally posted on stagebuddy.tumblr.com)