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Stage Translating drama into ballet
[Publicity photo]
The enduring characters created by Tennessee Williams come alive as dancers in North Carolina Dance Theatre’s ballet version of A Streetcar Named Desire. |
By MARTY CLEAR
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 13, 2003
The North Carolina Dance Theatre's choreographer says it was a 'tremendous responsibility' to turn A Streetcar Named Desire into a ballet.
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ST. PETERSBURG -- North Carolina Dance Theatre's version of A Streetcar Named Desire is two years old, and has already proven popular with audiences. But company officials say the ballet's toughest test will come during its current tour.
"If we do well with it in the South, we're home free," choreographer Mark Diamond said, "because Southerners feel a sense of ownership of that story."
So far, people in the South have embraced Diamond's Streetcar, which stops at the Mahaffey Theatre tonight.
"We've had a number of forums after the shows, and we've had people, even professors, who said they came in skeptical but ended up feeling that it was very true to the play," Diamond said.
The classic Tennessee Williams play has been translated into ballet a couple of times before, with varying success. Diamond created his version at the suggestion of NCDT director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux.
"I thought it was a great idea," Diamond said, "but it's a tremendous responsibility."
Streetcar presents some special difficulties for a choreographer, Diamond said, beyond the basic challenge of turning a work revered for its language into a ballet.
Most people have seen the play or Elia Kazan's film version, which might make the storytelling aspect of Diamond's job easier. But paradoxically, familiarity works against him.
"I can't depend on everyone knowing the story," he said. "So I still have to make it clear to the audience. I've always felt that even in an abstract ballet, it can't be my little secret. The audience has to be able to understand what's happening."
Because so many people in the audience know and love the source material, Diamond felt a special responsibility to translate it faithfully. But a literal adaptation was impossible. In the Williams play, Blanche DuBois recounts some essential events in her life that involve her father, who never appears in the play. Diamond, lacking the advantage of language, had to make Blanche's father an on-stage character. The brutal rape also has to be played out, figuratively, onstage.
"The rape scene transforms into a slightly suggestive jitterbug," Diamond said.
Another challenge came in the character of Mitch, a key player who's something of a lout. Translating his clumsiness into ballet wasn't easy.
But other Streetcar characters are well suited for dance, Diamond said. Blanche's veneer of sophistication adapts well to classical ballet styles, and Stanley's strength and athleticism lend themselves to more modern styles.
The play's setting (New Orleans, one of America's most musical cities) also gave Diamond a wide palette of artistic choices. The recorded score is a pastiche of styles, from jazz to classical, that reflect the action and the characters.
Also on tonight's program is Tango, choreographed by Alonzo King and set to the music of tango legend Astor Piazolla.
Although this will be the first time local audiences have seen Diamond's Streetcar, NCDT is already a local favorite. The company came to the Mahaffey in 2001 and 2002 to perform and teach. In fact, Diamond said, the company feels a special bond with this area.
"We have a great relationship with St. Petersburg," he said. "We'd love it to become a second home."
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PREVIEW: North Carolina Dance Theatre performs A Streetcar Named Desire and Tango at 8 tonight at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. Tickets: $26-$30. Call (727) 892-5767.
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