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 Cyrano model box photographs: Hayden Griffin and Suzie Hickinbotham |
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Cyrano: early stagesOctober 20, 2006 BRB Director David Bintley introduced Company members to his new ballet, Cyrano, last week, assisted by designer Hayden Griffin and his team who illustrated David's synopsis of the ballet with a full model box presentation. The model box, a scale model of the stage measuring approximately two feet across, contained realisations of the sets to be used in the work, each intricately crafted to look like the final full-sized versions - though without any props and a full cast of dancers! In each of two presentations to different members of BRB, David explained how the story would be told, introducing characters and detailing specific scenes and choreography. In a question-and-answer session he also fielded queries from the Company, explaining the differences between the new production and the previous version of Cyrano that he created while at the Royal Opera House. 'It’s a wonderful opportunity to revisit something which I’ve always, always, always believed in', he stated. 'I’ve always believed it could work'. 'We obviously did this show before', he said, 'and for various reasons it didn’t work. This time we’ve got a score which absolutely does what a ballet score needs to do. When you want a great tune, you get it, when you want that rousing 16-cadet stanza, you get it. It’s incredibly emotive at the end, and musically it’s absolutely wonderful. If everyone’s not weeping buckets then Carl [Davis, composer] and I will not have done our jobs properly.' As well as the new music and choreography, David also praised the new designs by Hayden Griffin, who previously worked with David on Hobson's Choice, Far From The Madding Crowd and 'Still Life' at the Penguin Café. 'Again, I think Hayden has done a wonderful job', he said. 'The initial design was wonderful, but it was difficult to work with - it held us up in some cases because it was so big, and because of scene changes that needed to be made. But I think that the re-worked version looks fantastic, and I hope everyone else does too'. The only element that remains largely unchanged is the costumes, which, having been kept safe in storage since the orginal ballet, are still in perfect condition. As a result, the main costume work required will be creating those for additional characters which David has introduced, something for which Hayden has already completed initial designs. See below for images of the stage from the model box presentation, and keep checking back for further news on the development of this ballet. Cyrano makes its debut at Birmingham Hippodrome, 7 - 10 February 2007, before BRB begins a UK tour later the same month. Click here for full details and for links to on-line booking. ENDS |
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