Faltering partnership

According to some, Onegin is the ultimate expression of John Cranko’s choreographic and theatrical genius.

According to some, Onegin is the ultimate expression of John Cranko’s choreographic and theatrical genius. I disagree, for I think that other works are a much better testament to his unique creativity. But I like Onegin because it is one of those works in which choreography and acting go seamlessly hand in hand, thus creating a tension that makes one overlook and forgive much of the poor choreography — of which there is a good handful. That, though, is only when things work as they should. When they do not, the outcome can be dreary, like the performance I saw on the opening night of the new Royal Ballet season.

The company looked tired, unrehearsed and never much involved in the ongoing drama; not to mention the number of small and annoying accidents that marred the first two acts. Although Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru are acclaimed interpreters of Onegin and Tatiana, their first two duets lacked dramatic vibrancy and showed little of the perfect partnership many remember so fondly. Steven McRae, as Lensky, looked just fine, but did not shine as he normally does. He is an ideal Lensky, for he seems to have come straight out of a Romantic painting, but in the well-known solo in Act II he did not project in full the desperation of a young man who is going to die. Cranko had set specific instructions and tempi for the various movements, to achieve a spine-chilling emotional effect. Alas, none of those well-preserved directions seems to have been taken into account. Next to him, Akane Takada, as Olga, indulged in a purely technical display of bravura that detracted greatly from the dramatic depths of her part.