Murphy

Murphy
The Australian Ballet. State Theatre Arts Centre Melbourne with Orchestra Victoria - 16 – 26 March 2018 and Joan Sutherland Theatre Sydney Opera House with Opera Australia Orchestra. 6 – 23 April 2018.

It’s a rare thing for a dancer to have a career that spans 50 years. It’s still more rare that said dancer would change the face of the art.  Baryshnikov, Nureyev, Nijinsky, Pavlova, Fonteyn. They all changed the face of narrative ballet through their technique and presence. Murphy himself was a formidable onstage presence. It is, however, his off stage work which has made him one of the most influential dancers of our time. His artistic vision for contemporary and traditional ballet has stretched the athleticism and technique of dancers around the world and broadened the imaginations of the audience.  It is only right then that a talent of this caliber should be honored on the 50th anniversary of his entry into professional dance. 

Murphy celebrates a stellar career with excerpts from four programs as well as the famed Sheherazade and Firebird, all curated and choreographed by Graeme Murphy in tandem with long time Creative Associate Janet Vernon.  It’s understandable that The Australian Ballet would want to feature a broad selection from Murphy but this inevitably leads to some issues in the staging.  The performance opens with a fairly ordinary film tribute to Murphy, Reflections, created by Philippe Charluet. Whilst it is great to hear Murphy talk about dance, the over use of the ‘Ken Burns Effect’ on photos from Murphy’s career left me feeling like I was watching a photo story created for a 21st birthday. Murphy deserves better.  The 2 minute wait between the end of the film and the beginning of the excerpts from The Silver Rose was uncomfortable and quite frankly unforgivable. Whilst it’s understandable that set changes take some time, this was not necessary at the beginning of the program.

That said, once senior artist Dimity Azoury takes to the stage flanked by members of the Corp with mirrors and backed by projections Hitchcock-esque film of clocks with hands spinning, all is forgiven. Azoury portrays the panic and angst of the aging lead of The Silver Rose with captivating ease. She conveys the anxiety of the nightmare to the audience who are reminded of their own mortality as she tries to flee from her own reflection. When she pulls down the curtain to reveal a bedroom set (the curtain being pulled under the bed), Principal Artist Ty King-Wall awaits her in a cleverly constructed bed, raised to the vertical. The two play out their love making, dancing on a concealed platform on the bed devised by set designer Roger Kirk.  It is here that Murphy excels in allowing the audience to feel the sexual tension, desperation and desire that the characters have for each other. There is something frenetic about Azoury’s portrayal that juxtaposes against Wall-King’s sensual approach.

The Silver Rose is followed by a trio and ‘sock duo’ from Air and Other Invisible Forces. The level of technical difficulty in the trio (performed by Brett Chynoweth, Christopher Rodgers-Wilson and Brodie James) is extremely high and the performance is sound. However, whilst the performance has a hypnotic quality of unison dance, it provides no emotional hook and is musically unremarkable.  The piece is quickly forgotten when the curtain raises on Sheherazade.  Kristian Fredrikson’s homage to the eroticism of Gustav Klimt in both in both costume and set design in simultaneously beautiful and evocative.  Soloists Jarryd Madden and Brodie James literally hang from the ceiling before descending in turn to explore the physical shapes created by Prinipal’s Leanne Stojmenov and Lana Jones. Mezzo Soprano Victoria Lambourn joins the dancers on stage. Whilst her performance is solid, her presence only serves as an unnecessary distraction from the art of the dancers.

Brett Chynoweth returns once again (with Jill Ogal, Jade wood and Marcus Morelli) for 8 minutes of high-octane dance in Ellipse. Murphy’s choreography here really shines as the dancers literally run on and off stage, jumping parts of the set and even at times slapping their knees as the pace of the piece intensifies. It’s a tribute to both choreographer and the stamina of the dancers.  The real highlight of the first act is, however, the excerpts from 2005’s Grand, which features pianist Scott Davie on a grand piano on stage, being moved from position to position by members of the Corp. The music in this segment spans Ginastera and Beethoven to Gershwin and Waller and the Corp do a serviceable job of the performance.  A highlight is four members of the company playing chopsticks before Chynoweth once again shines with soloist Marcus Morelli in a hilarious duo to Fats Waller’s Alligator Crawl.  Grand is a wonderful way to end act one.

Act Two is more traditional in that it returns to narrative ballet with Firebird. The story of the triumph of good over evil is given a very Murphy-esque ending. This subversive twist, the return of the serpent this time offering the biblical ‘apple’ reminds us that we may be listening to Stravinsky but we are very much in the modern world of Murphy.  Lana Jones is stunning as the Firebird, embodying this mythical creature with mesmerizing hand gestures. Principal Kevin Jackson is somehow powerful and vulnerable as Ivan Tsarevich. His switch from ‘hunter gatherer’ to ‘nurturer’ is subtle and beautiful.  Amber Scott is magnificent as Tsarevna. The audience falls in love with her as she with Tsarevich.  The set design by Leon Krasenstein is truly stunning. Once again Brett Chynoweth shows he is the stand out of the night in terms of performance and versatility. He emerges from, perches upon and dances with the reptilian eggs provided by Krasenstien. There is a real level of menace in Chynoweth’s performance which provides the foundation for our understanding of the jeopardy which the other performers face. 

Although Murphy has some clunky moments, this is to be expected when bringing together such a varied collection of styles of music and presentations of ballet. With that said, Graeme Murphy has well and truly earned the right to be excused some of these incongruities. There surely must be an undeniable obligation for ballet lovers to celebrate this visionary's work and this program, whilst not being perfect, will not disappoint. 

L.B. Bermingham

Phoyographer: Jeff Busby

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