Syrene Hvid с балетного американского форума продолжает сводить меня с ума отзывами на "Сильфиду" Хюббе. И так здорово рассказывает, что я уже по-настоящему жалею о том, что не увижу пару Грегори Дин (Джеймс) - Себастьян Хейнс (Мэдж). Она уже во второй раз описывает спектакль с этой парой - и с каждым разом ее рассказ получается все увлекательнее и обворожительнее. И столько новых деталей добавляется, уже почти видишь спектакль своими глазами. Черт возьми, как безумно жаль, что не существует нормальной видеозаписи - с каким угодно составом! Я, конечно, насмотрюсь "Сильфиды" вволю, но хочется-то иметь возможность пересматривать, а не только перечитывать отзывы - даже такие чудесные, как у Syrene Hvid.
Как обычно, с восторгом утаскиваю отрывки из ее рецензии - но советую прочитать все целиком, она очень здорово и увлекательно пишет.

Act two opened to an extremely strong caldron scene. Sebastian’s Madge was animalistic, dark and commanded the stage as unapologetically as he commanded his helpers. It was also an interesting breach of the fourth wall how the smoke from the caldron actually travelled over the first rows, too, kind of pulling us into the scene as we breathed it in. The tribal-like dancing and the erotic interaction between all five dancers on stage made the entire scene seem all the more hypnotic – like an ancient ritual, almost. The franticness of it in stark contrast to the slowness with which Sebastian existed the stage, walking so deliberately out that the transition between that scene and the white room was smoothened, leaving us to stare at bare, white walls for a minimal amount of time.

Like I said, I completely buy into the relationship that is/has been between Sebastian’s Madge and Dean’s James. They were lovers once, something undefined happened that caused James to seek marriage and left Madge feeling scorned and vengeful. As Madge saunters on stage with the veil slung around his waist, James sees him and seems to recognise the potential of the veil immediately. It’s difficult to describe the part of this interaction that isn’t elaborated upon, but there was something about Dean’s honest excitement as he approaches Madge that made his James seem as unaware of the consequences of their breakup as Sebastian’s Madge is unwilling to accept them. Something that only added to the magnitude of the tragedy at the end which I’ll get into in a moment… As it is, James is undaunted in his attempts to get Madge to give him the veil. First he tries to seduce it from him, sliding his hands over Madge’s shoulders in a caress that Madge dismisses. Then he tries to buy it, but Madge refuses to sell out. Rather, Madge makes him kneel and wraps the veil around his arms before swinging him around. His expression is frantic, crazed. The way it so perfectly reflects how James will later try to capture the Sylph, it really felt like this was the moment where Madge hoped in vain to capture James for himself once more in a similar manner. This parallel continues into the scene between the Sylph and James. Beautifully, beautifully danced by J’aime and Dean. The Sylph’s caution that becomes desperate want, then a moment of hope as she kneels. James tells her to kneel with all the destructiveness that Madge made him kneel first, the parallel between the two scenes starting there. The death scene wasn’t as gut-punching as the one in Aarhus, but it was very strong nonetheless and indeed, J’aime was all but in tears. Her Sylph died smiling this time, carrying all James’ hopes until her very last breath.

This final scene was powerful. It was executed flawlessly with only a minor hiccup in offstage timing when the helper’s carried J’aime across stage and the emotions ran high like waves undisturbed by it. The transformation in Madge struck me. Sebastian’s Madge was so bitter and angry and vengeful all throughout act one and in the caldron scene. Now, standing before James, he is angry, yes. Angry, but desperate more than anything. In his precise, harsh mime, he tells James of the unjustness of him being discarded. It was a lover’s quarrel. You only talk like that to someone in whom you have invested your everything, that was the feeling I had, watching it. And like in Esbjerg, when James launched at him, Madge had him dangling from his hands and they were staring into each other’s eyes. It was incredibly intense. Very powerful. Especially as James watches the Sylph disappearing, all his dreams and hopes lost. The same attack is repeated, he runs towards Madge and the kiss happens again. As forceful as James’ embrace of the Sylph. And deadly in the same way. James falls to the floor. Standing over him, Sebastian’s Madge stares right out at us and steps over his body. He doesn’t look victorious. He looks like a man who’s just lost everything. James killed his Sylph and lost everything. Madge killed James and lost everything in much the same way.

По этой "Сильфиде" прямо хочется фанфики писать. Душераздирающие, с ангстом, страданиями, рейтингом и психологическим насилием. Можно и просто с насилием, но я этого не очень люблю. А каков Джеймс, пытающийся отвлечь Мэджа прикосновениями и незаметно стащить у него шарф! Интересно, проделывает ли это Джеймс в паре с другим Мэджем (Клоборгом), или это выдумка конкретно этого Джеймса - конкретно с этим Мэджем? Но после такого и вправду окончательно убедишься, что Мэдж и Джеймс и вправду были раньше любовниками, а потом Джеймс почему-то решил жениться и остепениться, не понимая, что от Мэджа так просто не уходят.