The Bolshoi Ballet, perhaps the most classical of ballet companies, first produced Don Quixote in 1869. They have renewed it completely this year for the broadcast version that will be presented at Falmouth Academy in conjunction with Woods Hole Library on January 11. All new sets, sumptuous costumes, and some modernized choreography contribute to a thrilling production.
This is far from a clear retelling of Cervantes’ story of the crazed knight errant, as it follows a pretty standard classical ballet plot: a village girl (Kitri) loves a penniless barber (Basil) but their love is not to be. As one would expect, an entire village of Gypsies, citizens, matadors, and acrobats helps to move the plot along. Among the dancers are the wandering knight Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza. A long dream sequence leaves the swirling village square behind and focuses on the knight and his quest. Some reviewers considered this to be the highlight of the production.
According to the review by The Guardian, “This is the Bolshoi putting its best face to the world…performed with absolute commitment from the back row of the corps de ballet to the grandest principal.”
The Bolshoi Ballet broadcast film version includes interviews with dancers and choreographer Alexei Fadeyechev, which add to the immediacy and involvement of the audience with the production.
See it at Falmouth Academy’s Simon Center for the Arts on Friday, January 11, 2019 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at http://www.falmouthacademy.org/National-Theatre or at the door. Doors open at 6:30 to purchase tickets.