The Gazette from Montreal, Quebec, Canada • 20

20 THE GAZETTE, SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1966 Dame Margot's Juliet-Great, And Perhaps, Last Role By RONALD BRYDEN Mt'tel 1 Dame Margot Fonteyn or half-raised in an uneven angle, feet together, heels on the ground. Her movements are quick and mostly brief, the pose of her shoulders never exactly gawky but slightly tilted, awry. At the ball, Paris leads her out and guides her through a simple dance. The -steps are the elementary ones a beginner in ballet must master; as he walks her through them, she keeps her eyes on her feet. She is all stiffness, her head averted from him; but though she will look at him even less, the stiffness slowly thaws, her movements gradually grow longer, with steps uncurling from the hip, her whole body seems to lengthen.

She is upright now, shoulders erect: it helps the impression of stiffness, but in contrast with her posture of the first scene she is her body's mistress now, ready for the dance. The leggy creature is out of the chrysalis. Romeo kisses her hand, and once more she shrinks as when her nurse touched her, but this time with arms fully spread for flight. He leads her into a pas de deux, and now for the first time she achieves the long, soaring movements of the danced love-duet, but flashing him smiles which somehow tell that what she is discovering is not love or a lover, but her body's lightness. She simplifies the whole scene to a progression of lengthening glances.

AND THE BALCONY In the balcony scene, she gives herself to the air. Fonteyn has always been superb in conveying the moment of total abandonment. In the moonlit garden MacMillan gives Romeo a conventional pas seul leading up to a pas de deux. As Nureyev comes to rest on the end of his last spin, you're aware of Fonteyn in the corner of the stage gathering herself in a trembling, swaying curve like a breaking wave before throwing herself at him. For a long moment he crouches supporting her, rocking her outstretched body gently on his back like Epstein's mating doves, then they fling themselves into the great, traditional lifts.

At last the long, soaring line of her body is perfect, a single impulse of emotion. How to decline from there? What she does with the last act is perhaps even subtler missioned from Nicholas Goergiadis some brilliant sets. They were bold, original, evocative and imposing, but, faithful to contemporary trends in a i nti they worked in two dimensions. Without depth or 'receding' colours, they compelled the dancers time and again into the flat illusion of a frieze. Beneath their strong, semi-abstract gestures, the small effects of the company's rather tentative naturalism were overwhelmed.

In fact, Fonteyn has now built a bridge between the ballet's intention and visual design. Those who have worked with her over the years say she cannot be hurried. She bores her way slowly into a 'part, mining newer and deeper meanings, compressing and simplifying as she finds them. In Keith Money's photographic book, The Art of Margot Fonteyn, Ashton describes, how, when they moved to Covent Garden from Sadler's Wells after the war, she found difficulty projecting her effects in the gigantic opera-house auditorium. 'Slow he suggested, and miraculously her performance leaped into life.

She has learned her lesson. EVER SIMPLIFYING Simplifying always' in search of the single expressive gesture, her method is to seek, as Shaw says Duse did, a line of the whole body which will convey the central mood of a character. In his book, Money speaks of the 'sorrowful curve' of neck and back which distinguishes her Swan Queen. As Juliet, she concentrates now on an unfolding line from extended fingertip to toe which suggests a bird in flight. In the language of ballet, passion is always equated with lightness.

The climaxes are the 'lifts', the moments when the man hoists the ballerina exultantly into the air. Fonteyn has turned the whole role into a visual evolution of the creature who will take flight in those moments: Juliet emerges from the cramped chrysalis of girlhood. Her triumph as an actress is to translate character into the language of dance. In the scene with her nurse, she darts and flutters unsteadily, always coming to rest earthbound, arms to the sides limbs move: not because they are stiff this time, but nerveless, flopping. From the aban-, don of the balcony scene, she makes a line to Romeo's last dance in the tomb, carrying her unconscious body in his arms until it slithers to his feet.

When she plunges his dagger in her side, she raises one shoulder higher than the other. It is the same cramped, awry posture of her first scene, given a new meaning. That bird will fly no more. than what went bfore. Once abandoned to passion, her body cannot brace itself again.

As Romeo bids her farewell in the bedroom, it swoons about him in drooping curves which she echoes as she pleads with her wrathful father. There is one more moment of flight MacMillan has kept Ulanova's choaked, desperate rush to Friar Lawrence but at the end of it she crumples like a shot bird. Drinking her poison, she can scarcely make her LONDON New Statesman) The gold and crimson curtains sweep down, masking the Capulet tomb, and the ritual begins. First, a tableau of the hovers' bodies sprawled on their slab. Then, to gathering applause, the character-dancers line up Capulet, Lady Capulet, the Nurse and Paris.

Male soloists next, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt: stronger clapping, and one or two bravos for Benvolio, a popular young dancer. Then the male star, stalking pigeon-toed between the curtains, acknowledging a crescendo of applause with one courtly arm, reaching with the other to lead his Juliet into the eye of the storm. Pause, recapitulation. This time supporting principals flank the stars, and footmen bear on flowers for the women. The conductor joins them.

Conductor alone with stars. Then Romeo again, arm travelling the circle of the galleries, where girls have begun to scream 'Rudy! A carnation fall from the gods onto his head; he bows ironically. Once more he leads out his partner, kisses her hand, accepts a rose from her bouquet, and leaves her to the spotlights: a small, fleshless woman in a white shift, glistening with sweat, curtsying with a tired, brilliant smile. The golden cavern deliquesces in noise, bravos, adoration. The ritual is consummated.

To an outsider, the heart of the ballet-cult seems to be these curtain-calls: at the moment, the curtain-calls for Fonteyn and Nureyev in Kenneth MacMiUan's Romeo and Juliet. A year after its premiere, it has become the pinnacle, the high altar of balletomania: the treasured goal of all-night queues shivering in Floral Street and desperate advertisers in The Times. Crest role Twelve months after a not especially auspicious debut in the part, Margot Fonteyn has turned Juliet into one of her great roles presumably the last. At an age (she will be 47 in May) when most ballerinas have begun to taper off into one-act works and charity-matinees pas de deux, she has FEINER cloud appeared on the show's horizon. One hot July day, Littlewood announced that the script had to be completely re-written and suspended rehearsals while she set about just that.

(Orkin was later to comment that only two of his lines got into the final show.) When the cast reassembled the disease that was to kill Twang began to appear each member of the creative team worked without paying too much attention to what the others were doing. Littlewood's technique I n-volves putting her actors through ad-libbing not really relevant to the work at hand and slowly leading them to the show that is finally presented. However, as the Birmingham opening drew nearer, there was a lot of ad-libbing but little Meanwhile, Stone rehearsed his dancers in another room, Messell, in yet another corner, worked on his designs and Bart sent instructions to everybody. When it became obvious that they wouldn't be ready for it, the Birmingham run was cancelled. The time had come to put the pieces to- THOMAS SCHIPPERS will gala series concerts of Orchestra at the Place des conduct the last of the the Montreal Symphony Arts on Tuesday evening.

Bart's TwangH-Most Expensive Flop Of mastered the difficult star-role in a full-length ballet of a kind meatier than most of the courtly classics in which she has made her reputation. To put it brutally, after a lifetime playing Principal Girls in elaborate danced fairy-plays, she has attempted the task of a i Shakespeare without words, and demonstrated that what makes her unique as a dancer is that she is one of the great actresses of her time. No one expected her to surpass herself, so to speak, as Juliet. For a long time, she had resisted the suggestion that she compete with Ula-nova in a role the great Russian ballerina had created and stamped with her personality. When MacMillan was commissioned to mount a new ballet to Prokofiev's score, it was not with Fonteyn in mind.

Collage The dancers 'on' whom MacMillan choreographed his new version were Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable, two of the company's younger principals. When the senior ballerina showed willingness to lend prestige to the production, she was deferentially offered the premiere, but critics who knew her work found her Juliet a collage of effects from her old parts: Giselle, Odette, Ondine. The ballet itself was not, one can see now, wholly successful in its objects. As Ashton did, attempting to inject modest elements of Russian 'realism' into Ondine, MacMillan created a loose spine of formal choreography in which his dancers were free to improvise a fleshing-out of characterisation and mime. The English company had neither the Bolshoi's training in i provisation nor its leisurely months to rehearse.

Moreover, leaning over backwards to avoid copying Lavrovsky, MacMillan substituted for the Russian Choreographer's most dramatic dance inventions equivalents, rather less theatrical, of his own. OVER-ENTHUSIASM Finally, in its enthusiasm to mount something really 'new', the company made a cardinal error over its decor. It com- In London gether into one show and the in-fighting intensified. After threatening to leave, Littlewood was given control of the production on the condition that she make no radical changes (this a week before Manchester). Opening night at Manchester was a disaster.

During the post-mortums the following day, Littlewood, after some sitting on the fence, resigned. Burt Shevelove, one of the men behind the hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Forum, was called in as both director and doctor, instructed to save the patient if possible. Twang! ran for four weeks in Manchester and no two performances were the same. Shevelove, ignoring Bart as much as he could, altered, added, substracted and patched up but when moved to London to rehearse for its West End opening, he had little hope for the show. (To make matters worse the assistant producer had just withdrawn his name from Shevelove was already to bury the dying musical when Bart and the cast persuaded him to see through to its London first night.

Work and changes continued. Bart, told that the Lord Chamberlain (the censor) wanted a copy of the script, replied, "You're kidding. He already has four." Opening night was delayed a few days (one of the many blows to sagging advance sales). When it finally came, the miracle has not happened. was still a flop.

(One reviewer said that the only memorable tune in the first half had been the National Anthem) Shevelove left and Bart announced, with bubbling enthusiasm, that he himself would save In three weeks, he said, it will be a great show. But the tormented, twisted body of the musical comedy refused to stand up to any more Struggling through 41 days on the support of Bart's personal financing, was at last allowed to die, taking $400,000 with it. THE GONDOLIERS by Gilbert and Sullivan MONTREAL WEST OPERATIC SOCIETY INC. April 13, 14, 15, 16 Wetthill High School Auditorium Reservation $2.50 from LASALLE MUSIC 481-3154 3641 Sherbrooke St. West THE CHURCH OF ST.

ANDREW AND ST. PAUL HANDEL'S MESSIAH PARTS 2 AND 3 CHOIR Of 75 VOCfS Good Friday, April 8th Collection 8:00 p.m. Bo 'In' Be At The directed by SERGIU CELIBIDACHE MOZART'S 'REQUIEM' By MICHAEL the prospects for had looked very much better. Bart was to organize and compose the show. Harvey Or-kin, a top TV writer was to write the script.

The versatile and talented Joan Littlewood was hired to direct. Paddy Stone, whose previous work had been well received, was to do the coreography for the show. Oliver Messell, highly thought of in the West End, was to design. Hindsight points to some incongruities in the creative team. Littlewood is the prime mover of avant-garde theatre production in London.

Messell, who was originally given complete visual control of is a member of the opposite, Establishment camp. Although Littlewood had directed Bart's first stage hit, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be, she had not liked any of his succeeding musicals (including Oliver). And Or-kin had never written a musical before. It was thought, however, that these factors would be minor and unimportant. Last summer, rehearsals began and the first LONDON Lionel Bart, composer of London's longest-running musical comedy, Oliver, has recently been associated with another, less happy, West End record his latest show, part of title) was the most expensive flop ever presented in this city.

a spoof of the Robin Hood story, rode into London on a wave of publicity, most of it bad. Flayed by reviewers, Twang! was carried by Barts public enthusiasm (and private financing) though 41 money-losing days before finally closing with a total loss of close to $400,000. The first public hint that might be in trouble came when a three-week trial run in Birmingham was called off. The next preview run, scheduled for Manchester, opened on time but on opening night it was clear that the script hadn't been finished. During the last act the actors and actresses carried on bits of dialogue with the audience.

The critics were not amused. The next day, the director walked out. All this, however, came at an advanced stage of the behind-the-scenes war. Much earlier in its career for the first big Saturday SWING Samedi Saturday, April 2, 9 p.m. to midnight ot the YWCA, 1355 Dorchester Blvd.

W. Master of Ceremonies to keep things SWINGING. Wenderful prim, hit records for dancini, friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Plotter decor. With Thursday, April 21st 8:30 p.m.

Pierrette Alarie, soprano Rejane Cardinal, contralto Leopold Simoneou, tenor Gaston Germain, bass and the Quebec Symphony Choir 1k Concert Society of the Jewish People's Schools presents World Renowned Violinist MISCIIA ELHAH golden tone, dattling finger work Schonberg New York Times, Feb. '66 TODAY SUNDAY at 2.30 and 8.30 N.B. TONIGHT: SOLD-OUT M33J OS5 KI Superlative dancing. You saw them stop the show on Ed. Sullivan Feb.

13. weors a crown Los Angeles Herald, Feb. '66 CCA presents The 1 J1 COMPANY OF 90 SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1966 8.30 P.M. Tickets: $9.00, $7.50, $6.00, $5.00, $4.50, $3.00, $2.00 Reservations: 731-0273, 731-2352, 737-9073 Moil Orders 5170 Von Home Ave. tnclose Cheque and Stamped, tnvelope.

WITH ITS THRILLING FOLK ORCHESTRA and SINGERS ST. JAMES UNITED CHURCH 463 St. Catherine Street West Convenient to Hotels ft 9 Yl Jitttf ITI (Eljurrh THE REVEREND ROBERT BLAIR, B.A., B.D., Minister Glfford Mitchell, B.A. B.Mus., Organist and Choir Director GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 8TH, AT 8:00 P.M. Handel's "MESSIAH" Sung if The Choir of St.

James United Church WITH ORCHESTRA SOLOISTS: Sopranos JOAN HEELS Tenors FRED BARKER DOkOTHY LORD ROBERT GRIEVE Contratot MARY HINDESS Baritonet RODGER BOURNE KATHLEEN STUCKEY JAN SIMONS GRAHAM KNOTT, Organist GIFFORD MITCHELL, Conducting An Offering Will Be Taken I LI I $4, S3JQ, S3, si, si.M. Sunday, matinee: $5, J4, S3.S0, $2.50, si. lltkH Artl' Canadian Concerts 4 Artists, ttil Sherbrooke W. (basement); Atl. Pae.

Travel, 4K0 Queen Mary Ad" pucharme Bookshop, 418 N. Dame Rtnaud-Bray, Ml Cote liu'st! Tewrence'001' W' hone reservations at CCA only from a.m. to p.m. 912-2171 932-2234 A review of this event will appear in Monday's Gazette. FOLK BALLET: The Roumanian Ballet opened at the Place des Arts last night and will play there today and tomorrow..