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'America's Fairy Tale' Hits Orpheum Stage
By JONATHAN DEVIN | Special to The Memphis News
Ballet Memphis’ season opener offers what lately has been a rain-soaked Memphis a sight for sore eyes: a rainbow. “The Wizard of Oz,” choreographed by Steven McMahon, opens Saturday at The Orpheum Theatre and closes Sunday.
The time-honored tale of Dorothy and her trip to the land of Munchkins, witches and magical shoes reflects one of the first forays into an American aesthetic of storytelling in ballet, said Dorothy Gunther Pugh, artistic director of Ballet Memphis.
“I’m reminded many times what a young nation America is,” Gunther Pugh said. “We don’t really have a whole lot of things that are our own in terms of an American ballet aesthetic. I feel like ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is the only American fairy tale, and fairy tales are very good for ballet because they are very idealistic.”
Steven McMahon
The company chose to reprise “The Wizard of Oz” after first producing it two years ago. McMahon, who was just cutting his teeth on main-stage dance choreography, made some changes in the sets and characterization for this weekend’s production.
“It was more daunting for (McMahon) a few years ago when he didn’t believe in himself as much as I believed in him, but it was so well done,” Gunther Pugh said.
Whereas audiences enjoy the show because of its familiarity, Gunther Pugh said she sees a deeper meaning behind Dorothy’s journey.
“In some ways it’s anti-monarchy because the wizard was a sham,” Gunther Pugh said. “You can read it as a fairy tale about democracy. Dorothy and all of the individual characters walk through the woods holding hands and even though they seem to be a motley group, they attain something together. I feel like there are strains of the American narrative in there.”
Ironically, McMahon, who is originally from Scotland, chose music by British composers for the score, which Gunther Pugh said, adds to the piece’s American aesthetic.
“We can trace so much of the birth of our country back to what happened in Great Britain,” Gunther Pugh said. “(McMahon) ended up being drawn to a lot of English music, and when he puts it together, it sounds beautiful. The tornado sounds like a tornado. The snow falling on the poppies sounds so wonderful.”
Costuming for the show offered challenges for certain characters, but Gunther Pugh said the group found ways to make some of the heavier costumes look more solid than they actually are.
“The Tinman looks heavy, but it’s designed so that there’s a lot of freedom of movement in the torso,” Gunther Pugh said. “The parts that are constricting are actually good because it helps him move as if he were a real Tinman. He does lots of jumps.”
McMahon also choreographed two opening pieces including a “Pas de Deux,” which was presented by two Ballet Memphis members at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland, during the summer. The piece has never been seen in the United States.
The second opening piece is a dance for five couples choreographed to Beethoven.
Despite more modern themes, Gunther Pugh said that in all three works, the choreography will remain close to classical styles seen in works such as “Swan Lake” or “The Nutcracker.”
But the real story, she said, is the company’s ability to tell a tale without words.
“I have not found very many fabulous storytellers in the ballet world to tell stories in a relevant way that still captures the magic and focus of the story, and (McMahon) seems to be really good at it,” she said.
“The Wizard of Oz” opens Saturday (Nov. 7) at The Orpheum Theater at 7:30 p.m. and continues Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $5 and are available at www.balletmemphis.org.