The KVN dance company brings back the charm of Delibes’s popular ballet through a new production combining old and new approaches on its score and delivery. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this revised take on the automaton toy maker’s tale resulted in a clockwork operation.
Every story has been told. That’s the first lesson you learn when you make a living out of writing for and about shows. We get to see so many copycat versions of the same content, I’m surprised I still haven’t got onstage with a dramatic flourish to express my indignation (I definitely haven’t… I promise… and my insistence makes it believable…). Coming to review new takes on classical pieces is always a daunting task. You know it, for better or worse, but you have no idea of what they may have done with it. And trust me, if works of art could sue creatives for taking away their dignity, the system would probably collapse.
Last week, the Marylebone Theatre hosted the London run of Coppelia, a KVN Dance Company interpretation of Delibes’s popular ballet, mixing his sumptuous late romantic score with some edgier, contemporary versions of some of his themes. Choreographed by Kevan Allen and with additional music arrangements by Rickard Berg, the montage brings back the allure of its old-fashioned style while rejuvenating it through a seamless blend of tradition and modernity – delivering a smooth and consistent combination of sound and visuals that manage to open a door for originality without renouncing to the essence and background of its material.
Featuring minimal staging, consisting basically on a black-box approach with a couple of set elements moving around, the narrative power of this performance is truly remarkable – capable of immersing us, as an audience, into its sometimes innocent, some others bleak, but always whimsical universe of oddities, In some way, reminding, as for its aesthetics, to the swank charm of bombastic shows like Cirque du Soleil’s world-treasured Alegria, the ability this production has to entice us is rather laudable – lighting a sparkle that never runs outs, and often builds into a blaring ball of energy, despite boasting no opulence in their display, apart from its extremely committed cast.
Portraying their roles with almost technical flawlessness and refreshing determination and care, Allen’s concept is put in safe hands (and probably, elevated) by an incredible ensemble – playing their parts with impeccable timing, flair and rapport. Fusing passion, delicacy and palpable understanding and determination for the story they are trying to tell, their portrayals are genuinely captivating – rendering an intricate picture that not only achieves to transport us, but actually move us and oblige us.
A grandiose effort coming from a petite troupe, KVN’s Coppelia proves, once again, the strengths of theatricality by regaling us with so much without recurring to anything else than the talent and quality of its performance. Boasting some innovative traits through its continuous conjunction of past and present in a fully unified structure, this production has returned the sweetness and sentimentality of its core foundation while discreetly branching out into other exciting possibilities. Of course, it could still be lifted to an even higher level if backed up by the right budget, but it would just be a small inclusion in comparison to the magnificence stemming from its artistry. There’s already so much to see and be taken by. But even more to take with us.
All pictures credit to Hettie Pearson.