Zorba the Greek, a perky and temperamental ballet at the National Opera House, will run for the fourth season at the National Opera Theatre in Kyiv as of Sept. 30.
The ballet received a 15-minute standing ovation during the last show in the previous season, so it’s well worth running again.
Composed by Mikis Theodorakis in 1988, and based on a best-selling novel by Nikos Kazantzakis published in 1946, the ballet was staged in Kyiv by Lorka Massin, who continues a dynasty of Russian ballet masters living in Europe.
The libretto seems a little complicated at first. John, an American tourist, comes to a small Greek town to take part in Dionysiacs, a holiday dedicated to god Dionysus. He falls in love with a young widow called Marina. But alas, he has a rival in the person of a local suitor Manolios, whose feelings Marina does not return.
John’s ordeal does not end there. The locals strongly dislike him and reject him. But his luck turns when Zorba, a native of this town, gets back home after his travels. The two become friends and even start a business together.
Zorba’s own plot develops as he falls in love with Madame Hortense, a former courtesan –a sad yet slightly comical character in the story.
Eventually, the friends’ business fails. Vindictive Manolinos provokes a new wave of hostility against John and Marina, as a result of which Marina dies, trampled over by an angry mob. John escapes death from the hands of Manolinos after Zorba’s intervention.
Mikis Theodorakis
John grieves his love, and soon it’s Zorba’s time to grieve as his beloved dies of tuberculosis.
Now, it all seems sad and tragic, but paradoxically, the ballet itself is not. In fact, it’s a very energetic and uplifting show, with a good mix of solo and mass performances that allow the dancers to shine.
Maksym Motkov, who plays Zorba, is well picked for the role. Agile and temperamental, he truly makes his character central to the story.
Marina, played by Olena Filipyeva, dances her emotions beautifully – from rage to hate, to love and then tenderness. She is the emotional backbone of the story, and her dancing is, too.
The other central female character, Madame Hortense, played by Hanna Dorosh, is a touching and brittle personality. Her droopiness and sadness are danced beautifully and with much empathy.
The show is set against an impressive background that seems a little too heavy at the beginning, with ruins of an ancient temple and a Christian church. It lacks somewhat in the whites and blues of real Greece, and its airiness.
The background changes after the break, and the sea appears, setting the tragic events of the second part of the performance against a contrasting tranquil marine landscape.
A live choir gives an additional depth to the show, adding to the grandeur of the ballet, and setting off the intimacy of some dances, like the pas de deux of Zorba and John, the ultimate dance of grief, male friendship and support.
The sirtaki dance in the end performed by the whole troupe is a good amalgamation of the traditional Greek dancing and ballet, which gives the whole show a flavorful kick.
| National Opera House 50 Volodymyrska, 279-1169, Sept.30 www.opera.com.ua |
Kyiv Post Opinion editor Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at [email protected].
