Ballet Theatre Of Maryland's "The Firebird" And "The Scarlet Letter" Dance With Magic

By Jennifer Teates

Photos courtesy Of Dan Biegel

Recently, the Ballet Theatre of Maryland presented Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” as two intense one-act ballets.

Viewing these ballets together in one evening was a rare, wonderful opportunity. The contrasting themes of the stories, one fantastical and the other dogmatic, came together to enchant the audience.

“The Firebird” was both delightful and confusing in equal measure. The demonstrated skill and execution of expert choreography were powerful; however, the story felt a bit forced and awkward at times. The narrative was hard to follow without studying the synopsis provided in the program.

Dianna Cuatto, the theatre’s artistic director, spoke about her vision for the ballet before curtain call, outlining her own sentiments and creative alterations to Stravinsky’s original work.

Cuatto changed the gender of evil sorcerer Kashcheia, who holds Princess Tsarevina captive from her beloved Prince Ivan. By envisioning the antagonist as a woman instead of a man, the audience was able to observe Ivan’s relationship with three distinct females: the Firebird, the Princess, and the evil sorceress – an idea that was unexpected, yet seductive.

The character of the Firebird became a cross between a phoenix, born again from the ashes, and a peacock, to relay a sense of the bird’s ego and vanity. Whereas the choice of the phoenix was apparent in the costume colors and fierce choreography, the peacock was less clear. Without the Firebird’s flaunting of her bright tutu-plumage — a characteristic of male peacocks in nature —the director’s best intentions were vague.

The cast captured the audience’s attention through stellar dance sequences. Nicole Kelsch wowed the audience with an exceedingly passionate, technical performance as the Firebird. Erica Wong portrayed the gracefulness of the Princess effortlessly – she flowed seamlessly over the stage as if through water.

“The Scarlet Letter” was believable, moving, and emotional down to each carefully crafted gesture of the cast. The ballet dredged up a long-absent sense of compassion and forgiveness for others. As in “The Firebird,” “The Scarlet Letter” featured a woman interfering in the best-laid plans of others.

Hester Prynne (Kathryn Carlson) committed adultery and had a baby with her secret lover, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale (Brian Walker). Prynne was forced to bear the burden of a town’s scorn, and the condemnation of wearing a scarlet A on her chest, while Dimmesdale quietly suffered through internal nightmares and guilt.

Meanwhile, Prynne’s estranged husband, Roger Chillingworth (Alden Taylor), reappeared and pressured Prynne to not reveal his true identity. Her willingness to do so was perplexing, but even more strange was the appearance of Chillingworth’s Indian sage friend, Chief Tamaned (Joshua Burnham), wearing little more than a loin cloth. However, the character did provide a necessary bit of comedic relief in the otherwise weighty drama. Mistress Hibbins, who was suspected of witchcraft by the Puritan community, was played chillingly by Meagan Helman.

“The Firebird” and “The Scarlet Letter” ran through late February. The Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s next feature is “On The Move II” on March 31. For more information, visit www.balletmaryland.org.