Mark Morris Dance…a contrast of two acts @ Palace

An interesting audience reaction greeted the two acts of the recent Mark Morris Dance Company’s near sold-out performance at the Palace Theatre.  Overheard comments at intermission of the performance cosponsored by Dance Cleveland, PlayhouseSquare, and Cleveland State University, were statements such as, “That was great.”  “I never knew dance could be such fun.”  “Morris is really creative.”  Unfortunately, after the second act there was general silence as the large audience left the Palace theatre. 

Why were there different reactions?

The opening act consisted of two Morris choreographed pieces, CANONIC  ¾ STUDIES and FESTIVAL DANCE.

Mark Morris once said, “I like to see people working together.  What we call a giant solo in my company is about four bars long while twenty other people  are doing something.   Noted for combining modern dance, folk dance, traditional ballet and opera, he often combines simple steps into an intricate set of rhythmic movements.

CANONIC ¾ STUDIES, typical of Morris at his delightful best, showcased the dancers jumping, frolicking, falling, crawling, twirling, and prancing in perfect time to the sprightly “Piano Waltzes” arranged by Harriet Cavalli.   There was a youthful, playful innovation to the work which enthralled the audience.   The piece was danced to the well played live piano sounds of Colin Fowler.

Set to Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s “Piano Trio no. 5 in E Major, Op. 83,” FESTIVAL DANCE highlighted Morris’s love of European folk dance.   The well performed live accompaniment by Cyrus Beraukhim (violin), Andrew Janss (cello) and Colin Fowler (piano) added to the joyousness of the performance.

The three segments, WALTZ, MARCH, and POLKA each contained many traditional movements including foot slapping, line dancing, czardas prancing, galloping, and partner switching.  As with the opening number the conclusion was met with applause and whoops of joy.

Morris has been involved with opera for over 20 years, directing and choreographing productions for the likes of The Metropolitan Opera, New York City  Opera, and The Royal Opera of Covent Garden.

The long second act, which showcased Morris’s operatic ties, was met with less enthusiasm.  The long operatic ballet,  SOCRATES, was set to three movements of Erik Satie’s suite, “Socrate.” 

As tenor Zach Finkelstein proficiently sang in French, accompanied by Colin Fowler at the piano,  dancers, dressed as traditional Greek statues, enacted segments of the Greek free-will philosopher’s  life, concluding with his imposed death.

As Finkelstein sang, the words were translated into English on a smallish screen near the top of the Palace Theatre’s huge proscenium arch.  It was impossible to read the translations and watch the dancers far below, causing a definite disconnect.  To add to the disconnect, the actions on stage, though well danced,  did not enact the story line.   As one audience member said, “After a while I just gave up on reading and watched the dancers, but that didn’t help as I couldn’t figure out the story.”  Muted applause greeted the final curtain.

Capsule judgement:  Mark Morris Dance Group’s first Cleveland appearance in five years was a mixed bag.  After pleasing the audience with a delightful first act, the tone switched drastically in the second half, which though well presented, was tedious. 

Next up for Dance Cleveland, on May 2, 3 and 4 at the Allen Theatre, is LUCKY PLUSH, billed as ”One of the most accessible exercises in modern dance you’ll ever see.” 

METAMORPHSES @ Cleveland State University

METAMORPHSES @ Cleveland State University

METAMORPHOSES, meaning "changes of shape,” is a classical narrative poem in fifteen books by the Roman poet Ovid, and is considered to be a masterpiece of Golden Age Latin Literature. It the history of the world from its creation. The writing, which uses the mock epic form, follows an arbitrary writing pattern in which scenes are not always linked together in numerical order, leaping from story to story with little connection.
The CSU production is a script originally written by Mary Zimmerman, the Artistic Associate of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The local production is directed by Holly Holsinger.

With the purpose of staging a show that “reminds us of what it mans to be human, the director states, “These are our stories. They belong to us. They echo from the past. The have become ingrained in our psyches.”

Vocal projection is often weak, the music sometimes drowns out the speaking voices, and the line meanings are not always clear. In spite of these weaknesses, the play is well paced, the humor level is high, and the technical aspects are outstanding, especially scenic designer Russ Borski's set with a water-filled pool and shimmering gold infused back walls. As for the performers, Stephen Farkas has a nice touch with comedy and Lew Wallace makes some excellent character transitions.

Capsule judgement: The production is a daunting task. It requires a level of acting sophistication which, in some cases, is beyond the performance levels of the cast.