“Le Corsaire” has never been considered one of the great ballets, on par with Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake; however, it can create a night of great fun with its dashing pirates and beautiful harem girls, which is exactly how Boston Ballet has presented its version at the Opera House.
Seo Hye Han and Lasha Khozashvili in rehearsal, performing a duet in Boston Ballet’s “Le Corsaire.” Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet
Almost 20 years ago, back in 1997, Boston Ballet actually gave the American premiere of “Le Corsaire.” Though it debuted in Paris in 1856, the ballet was moved to St. Petersburg in 1858 and was hardly seen outside of Russia for most of the following century. Staged by, then associate artistic director, Anna-Marie Holmes that 1997 American premiere is now in the repertoire of American Ballet Theatre and the English National Ballet; however, for the company’s new production, artistic director Mikko Nissinen looked to the version that Czech choreographer Ivan Liška created in 2007 for the Bayerische Staatsballett.
In creating the ballet, Liška made some changes to the original story. Conrad is still the handsome corsair sailing the Mediterranean Sea with his lieutenant Birbanto; however, Ali, originally Conrad’s slave, has now been made the property of the Turkish merchant Lankedem and Medora, formerly a slave, is now Lankedem’s Greek foster-daughter.
This father daughter relationship lasts until the Pasha (think a rank like governor) arrives to the marketplace Lankedem is located in, looking to add to his harem. After buying the alluring slave girl Gulnara, the Pasha catches sight of Medora and must have her. Eventually the price is right to the anger of both Conrad and Medora who have fallen in love at first sight. With the help of Ali, Conrad steals away Medora with the rest of the corsairs taking what they can, which includes a group of slave girls and Lankedem because he begs to come along.
From left to right: Irlan Silva, Lia Cirio, Roddy Doble, and Sabi Varga in rehearsal for Act One Boston Ballet’s “Le Corsaire.” Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet.
Arriving on Conrad’s island, the couple’s honeymoon period is soon cut short when Birbanto and Conrad fight over selling the slave girls. Birbanto, deciding to take revenge after losing the argument, drugs Conrad with the help of Lankedem and kidnaps Medora so she can be sold to the Pasha. Ali saves Conrad’s life, and Birbanto is killed. In the final act, Conrad and his corsairs disguise themselves as pilgrims and rescue Medora, and they sail off towards new adventures in the epilogue.
There is a lot to appreciate in a show that runs 2½ hours with a 30-minute intermission. Let’s begin with the sets. Designed by Roger Kirk, the massive sets are minimal enough not to distract. They are minimal yet artistic, using patterns and shapes in a way that is admirable. The addition of Conrad’s ship are always in the background when the scene is taking place by the ocean is another tasteful design choice.
The harem, joined by Boston Ballet II and students from the Boston Ballet School, in rehearsal at the Pasha’s palace in Boston Ballet’s “Le Corsaire.” Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet.
The costumes on the other hand, also designed by Kirk, were more mixed in terms of praise. The costumes are effective, though the plate tutus of the leading ladies are not at all flattering. In addition, Kirk played to the classic ballet trope of the bad characters in black (Lankedem donning a black cape when creating the poison for Conrad) and the good in white (for being a pirate, Conrad kept his crisp white outfit exceptionally clean).
The Boston Ballet Orchestra, under music director emeritus Jonathan McPhee, created the perfect atmosphere for the production. The music was both ostentatious and ornate, exactly what one would expect from a ballet about pirates.
The opening night’s cast danced well and seemed to enjoy themselves throughout the performance. Lasha Khozashvili, as the dashing Conrad, understood the humour in his role and acted to the extreme, creating plenty of laughs for the audience. The energetic Eris Nezha brought such vitality to Birbanto. It was a shame to see him die at the end of the second act. Irlan Silva, as Ali, turned his character into the real hero of the show. He was faithful to both Medora and Conrad. All three were high flyers, which was amazing to watch as they leapt and turned across the stage.
From top to bottom: Seo Hye Han, Lasha Khozashvili, and Irlan Silva in rehearsal for Boston Ballet’s “Le Corsaire.” Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet.
The leading ladies were just as rousing, though at times a little constrained. Seo Hye Han, as Medora, was entertaining as she mimicked Conrad’s dancing; and Lia Cirio, as Gulnara, was mischievous, dancing circles around the Pasha in the third act. The most famous dance, “Jardin Animé,” was spectacular. It featured many many flowers and students from the Boston Ballet School.
Most modern productions of “Le Corsaire” are made to showcase virtuoso dancing, and this performance was no different. While Liška tried to incorporate the dancing with the story, there were times when the production felt rather lacking, and the audience was drained from too much clapping. The ending was also rather anticlimactic with the fight between the Pasha and Conrad being virtually nonexistent. In a ballet about pirates, there was very little danger or thrills in the dancing.
The ending of this version of “Le Corsaire” was also different. In the usual production, the corsair ship is wrecked in a storm with Conrad and Medora as the only survivors. Here, everybody is shown in the epilogue as being off to new adventures. It is a shame the audience will not be able to join them.
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Presented by Boston Ballet. At the Boston Opera House, through Nov. 6. Tickets: $35-$159.
617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org