Cinderella, March 23, 2007, Cobb Civic Center

I've never been crazy about the music to Cinderella. It was written by Sergei Prokofiev, whose music I like in general, and to be sure there are some parts of the music that I enjoy. For the most part, though, I find it a bit boring, and I think that colors my perception of the ballet. So going in to this performance by the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre, my expectations were modest.

Before the curtain came up, a woman came on stage and spoke for a few minutes about how expensive it was to put on the show. As an example, she had one of the dancers model a costume which she said cost $700. (Costume mistress daughter's note: $700, and it's made on a leotard?) She also told the story of how the choreographer, Tom Pazic, originally set this ballet on the Atlanta Ballet in the 70's, and how it had only been performed once since, by the Sacramento Ballet. This immediately made me wonder if perhaps the reason it hadn't been staged many times was that it wasn't a knock-out. This turned out to be the case.

Unfortunately, the quality of the dancing turned out to be at about the same level as the music and choreography. Ericka Shannon, as Cinderella, was a happy exception. While her line could be a touch more defined, she portrayed the character's innocence and sweetness with a natural charm. Also notable was Ashleigh Whitworth as the Autumn Fairy. Vincas Greene and Dean Williams were hilarious as the Stepsisters, and even danced on pointe in their size-12 shoes.

Wicked, March 13, 2007, Pantages Theater

I was in Los Angeles recently and went to see a show at the beautiful Pantages Theatre with a friend of mine whom I'll call Ivy Hamwich (she knows why). We saw the musical Wicked, which fills in the backstory of how the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch came to be who they are in The Wizard of Oz The lead roles were filled by Megan Hilty (Glinda) and Eden Espinosa (Elphaba), who were both excellent. The role of Fiyero was played by understudy Adam Lambert, whose hairstyle made him look like Ashton Kutcher. Carol Kane, recognizable from roles in The Princess Bride and My Blue Heaven, was magic teacher Madame Morrible.

In short, the acting was excellent, the book and music were OK, and the story was fantastic. See it if you get a chance - but don't buy the soundtrack.

Paul Taylor Dance Company, February 10, 2007, Eisemann Center's Hill Performance Hall

I'm all for letting audiences think for themself. There's an important difference, however, between letting audience members think for themselves and leaving them in the dark. That's how I felt at this performance, and I'm pretty sure that's also how the two women in the row behind me felt as they left before the end of the show.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed a lot about the show, and not just the fact that I got to take my mom. The company dancers are exquisitely trained and delightfully expressive. The choreography (all by Mr. Taylor) is thoughtful and well crafted. This show was just not audience friendly, and definitely not the right show to present in the dance hinterlands of Richardson, Texas.

I for one would have found much benefit in knowing when each piece was created. There were four pieces on the program, and they seemed to have been created at different points in Mr. Taylor's career. Profiles, a piece with two couples dancing like they stepped out of a Grecian frieze, felt like it came from further back in time, while Syzygy, for twelve dancers and a soloist, felt recent. Banquet of Vultures was clearly anti-war, but which war? And whom did the suits represent? Troilus and Cressida (reduced) was easily the most likeable, with its bumbling heroine and hero and gold-wigged, tripartite Cupid, and could have come from any time.

Profiles, Banquet of Vultures, and Syzygy all used music that could be considered non-Classical, either because of amorphous rhythms, discordant themes, or the non-natural sounds wrenched from instruments. (All of the music was taped.) Any one of these pieces would have been fine on the program by itself, but together they created a desert for those of us who enjoy watching dance set to a nice melody. I'm not suggesting that Mr. Taylor pander to audiences by only choreographing to Bach and Handel. But his biography makes a point of how he has found synergy with such composers, so it shouldn't be too onerous to include more of that sort of music in any given program. We're not in New York any more, Toto, and the audiences aren't as experienced.

Kvetching aside, here are a few higlights. An effective device in Profiles was having the dancers fold their fingers into their palms, so that their hands appeared stubby and their lines clipped. It also made it particularly poignant when, at the end, one of the dancers reached out to another and unfolded her fingers as the very last movement of the dance. Banquet of Vultures was so dark and obscure that I didn't realize there were two men in suits until the bows. It was powerful, though, and I couldn't help but feel anguish for Julie Tice as the soldier killed by Michael Trusnovec, the man in the suit. And how fun (and cathartic) for Julie Tice, Parisa Khobdeh, and Eran Bugge to wear little wings and curly gold wigs as Cupid. Lisa Viola was charming and hilarious as Cressida, and she was bright and adroit as the lead in Syzygy.

For the record, here are the actual dates for these pieces: Profiles - 1979; Troilus and Cressida (reduced) - 2006; Banquet of Vultures - 2005; Syzygy - 1987.