De-virginized at Lincoln Center

Get your minds out of the gutter! Last night was a first for me - my first live full-length ballet, Susan Stroman’s Double Feature. There was some suitable pre-show drama at the box office. Upon asking for the two tickets I had purchased for us (Trish and me), I was handed a single ticket. In a panic I checked my printed confirmation, and sure enough I had forgotten to change the "number of seats" box to "2". Luckily for us (not so much for the box office) there were plenty of unsold seats and he was able to exchange the ticket for a pair next to each other. Moral of story: always check your confirmations!

For me, it was a great introduction to ballet. Clear storytelling and characterizations and as far as I could tell, great dancing. I will not admit to being an expert on dance technique, but I was impressed. It’s nice to see what Stro, who I know only as a musical theatre director/choreographer, could do with a company of dancers rather than the measly little ensembles that pass for choruses in Broadway shows now (no cut on Broadway talent, just the skimping on cast sizes).

A bit melodramatic, though probably keeping with the period and style, the first act’s (“The Blue Necklace”) quasi-Cinderella-like plot didn’t hold many surprises, but did get to feature a remarkable solo by Damian Woetzel and some nice pairing with Ashley Bouder. The second act, “Makin’ Whoopee!” demonstrated Stro’s gift for stage pictures. The image of (seemingly) hundreds of brides-to-be in white wedding dresses (many in drag) chasing Jimmie (Tom Gold) brought sustained laughter from the audience - me included. Gold’s combination of graceful technique and Chaplin-esque angularity perfectly suited the style. I’m not sure if hardcore ballet lovers would consider this piece a true ballet, but it definitely has encouraged me to try some of NYCB other offerings (as I'm sure it did for other newbies).

FYI - we were able to move down to the front of the balcony because there were so many empty seats. I have a feeling that this may be a result of snobbery on the part of ballet fans and indifference from musical theater fans. I think Double Feature is probably the perfect combination of both worlds. Highly recommended.