Nureyev Gala: June 28th 2014, Wiener Staatsoper

A Gala...

Usually an evening full of excitement, joy, expectations and even nervousness... and I was, sort of “travelling back" to the 80’s and to N.Y. and to the Met and to the ABT Galas… lovely, happy times in my life... filled with Baryshnikov, Makarova, Kirkland, La Fosse, Bissel, van Hamell...

Well, yesterday’s one was more than that… it was like a ceremony of happiness closing an extremely successful season for the Opera, for the Ballet, for the company, for Monsieur Legris!

Because of its mood of celebration I do not believe that Galas should be analysed, scrutinized, criticized…
well, at least I am not in the mood for that… I would just like to tell you about it from the point of view of one “average every day ballet goer” to another!

The whole “ceremony” took nearly 4 and a half hours and the audience had the chance; in fact, the honour to travel through many choreographic “worlds”, languages and eras; specially concerning style... very special, delicious!
The challenging programme, exquisitely chosen by Manuel Legris, was an unique, intelligent choice and combination of pieces which meant absolute delight and joy to the audiences (just beside me, two brazilian ladies, which in fact had no idea at all nor of ballet and neither of what the evening was going to bring us , were simply delighted, ecstatic of what they were witnessing… ). The precise conception of the evening reminded me somehow a good vitamin pill: yes, all the right ingredients, in the right measure! Perfect!

I would just like herewith to write down the programme and mention the brilliant dancers that gave wonderful performances (and many of them very intelligent "readings" of certain roles):

- Raymonda (Nureyev after Petipa)/ Valse fantastique: Liudmilla Konovalova, Robert Gabdullin, Alice Firenze & Nina Tonoli. Brilliant!

- Flower Feast in Genzano (Bournville): Ioanna Avraam & Dumitru Taran - simplicity combined with precise technique.

- Le Souffle de l’esprit (Jiri Bubenicek): Eno Peci & Masayu Kimoto. I wonder how Greig Matthews would have performed the third role…

- Swan Lake (Petipa)/ Black Swan pas de deux: with lovely Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding, guests at the Staasoper and with whom I had the chance to have a lovely talk during the Premiere party… Such normal, down-to-earth persons...

- Other Dances (Robbins): Kyoka Hashimoto & Deny Cherevychko, both simply filled with "Star-Quality"!

- Le Spectre de la Rose (Nureyev after Fokin): Ezster Ledán & Mihail Sosnosvschi - style...

- Labyrinth of Solitude (de Bana) : a « premiere » for the Staatsoper with Kirill Kourlaev, who simply « stole the show » from everyone and was the STAR of the evening…

- La Dame aux Camelias (Neumeier): with marvelous Isabelle Ciaravola & Friedemann Vogel ( Opera de Paris & Stuttgarter Ballet) as the second guest “couple”. Simply perfectly emotional!

- Paquita (Petipa): Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding as well as Natascha Mair, Nina Tonoli, Alice Firenze, Ioanna Avraam and Rui Tamai (who is going back to Japan after this season): a pure joy and celebration!

- Cinderella (Nureyev): Ketevan Papava. I wonder how Vladimir Shishov would have perfomed the role of the prince.

- Swan Lake (Nureyev): La Polonaise… his very own dreams becoming reality on stage. Amazing. Powerful! Wonderful!

- 5 Tangos (Hans van Manen): Denys Chrevychko (bringing down the house…)

- Die Fledermaus (Roland Petit): Ketevean Papava and Manuel Legris… Yes, simply an historical moment… Incredible! I am definitely proud to have witnessed this incredible moment...

And finishing the evening, a questionable but extremely appropriate choice… one can just understand that after "feeling" the whole conception of the programme.... yes, for sure...

- La Bayadère (Nureyev after Petipa): Anna Tsygankova, Liudmilla Konovalova (in the ungrateful and even sometimes unflattering role of Hamsatti), Vladimir Shishov & Marat Davletshin. Delightful!

After the performance and during the party given on stage Natascha Mair and Nina Tonoli were appointed “demi-soloists” and lovely, gifted Ioanna Avraam was made into a “soloist” – a position that she has been occupying for quite a time already. Well deserved.

After the “stage party” there was this “get together” at the Operngasse and friends made me go along with them.
Destiny played a funny trick on me and instead of sitting together with friends to whom I wanted to chat, I spent the most of the evening in a small “circle” of friends of Monsieur Legris (including one of my "idols", Isabelle Guérin/ Opera de Paris, whom I did not recognize; my fault, I fear!), getting to know him a bit better and enjoying a lot his wit, charm and intelligence.

So glad about this 2013/14 Season… looking forward to the next ones!

Well, what else can I say? (and I have said it many times): Merci, Monsieur Legris! (for the last seasons, for this fantastic one and for the upcoming ones!)

All pictures (except curtain call ones) © Wiener Staatsoper programme.

Nurejev Gala 2014 - On stage videos from DelbeauFilm on Vimeo.

Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? (or are you beautiful because I love you?)

Sem dúvida, uma das mais lindas canções de Rogers and Hammerstein e composta especialmente para o musical de televisão „Cinderella“ (1957).

Quando foi “ao ar”, os U.S.A. literalmente pararam por uma hora e meia…
Todo o país teve a chance de ver "a mocinha” que, desde o ano interior, tornara-se a “rainha da Broadway” em “My fair Lady”: Julie Andrews…
Tudo isso adiconado ao fato de que o mundo ainda estava em tempos nos quais certos espetáculos eram feitos “ao vivo” e justamente por esse motivo não só produziam a impressão de uma estréia como ERAM, na realidade, uma verdadeira estréia!

Um detalhe sobre esta música: quando Rogers e Hammerstein a apresentaram pela primeira vez ao “cast” muitos olhos ficaram húmidos tal a emoção causada pelo texto e música…

Aqui Julie e seu “prince charming”, Jon Cypher, no show original que só foi revisto 47 anos depois de sua estréia, em 2004, quando o DVD desta produção foi lançado… óbviamente para minha grande alegria!

(Photo Copyright: Sony Entertainment)

(Prince):
Do I love you because you're beautiful?
or are you beautiful because I love you?
Am I making believe I see in you a girl too lovely to be really true?
Do I want you because you're wonderful?
or are you wonderful because I want you?
Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream?
or are you really as beautiful as you seem?



(Cinderella):
Am I making believe I see in you a man too perfect to be really true?
Do I want you because you're wonderful?
or are you wonderful because I want you?

(Both):
Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream?
or are you really as wonderful as you seem?

Meistersignaturen (Vienna State Opera, June 16th 2014)

Meistersignaturen (Master Signatures) is an evening programme to cherish: the combination of four different ballets, with very different music, very different “languages” and very different conceptions is an interesting, pleasant, warming one and a VERY interesting one, too!

Here just a few words and thoughts to yesterday’s performance at the Opera.

- Le Souffle de L’esprit (Master: Jiri Bubenicek): the use of Bach’s music is one that gives the challenging choreography a sort of musicality (in its movements) that is very singular, very pleasant. Soloists and Corps de Ballet were in very good shape and precisely rehearsed. Denys Cherevychko was a bit uneasy and his movements did not flow naturally, as if he was having a sort of problem in translating Bubenicek’s language to his own body. I was wondering why; he has been dancing this piece since 2011... But any normal person may have a bad day, isn't it?
On the other hand, one of the most pleasant moments of the evening belonged to Dumitru Taran. Mr. Taran completely in his element. He absorbed the choreography in such a way that its “language” was completely natural to him, nearly becoming his own! Using an expression that used to be common in Portuguese in my youth: “Parecia que havia bebido azeite” (“It seemed that he had drunk oil” meaning the his movements were smooth, his flexibility immense, that he was "at home" doing what he was doing). Mr.Taran’s dance is an intelligent one. I like that!

- Vaslaw (Master: John Neumeier): there are many different opinions about this work – many consider it boring, updated... I personally like it very much because of its great insight, its small details, its “mood”.
Mayasu Kimoto with his great stage presence, showed us once more his precise technique and appeal to the audience!
Also once more Dumitru Taran gave us a beautiful performance – in fact nearly without time to change between “Souffle” and “Vaslaw”.
Greig Matthews did his best out of a very ungrateful solo: very challenging and without that “certain” effect which keeps audiences concentrated. I wonder why Mr. Matthews is always getting such parts – like for example the prince’s solo on “Sleeping Beauty” (also another very difficult, ungrateful, impactless dance).
Ketevan Papava and Robert Gabdullin on top form! (I liked very much to hear, from a colleague of Miss Pavava, a refference made to her: “She is an artist”. And this articulated with great respect!)

- Alegro Brillante (Master: Balanchine): what a pleasure to watch Liudmila Konovalova in such a night like this. Precise, brilliant, musical, daring, effortless and so much in the Balanchine mood and style…
Robert Gabdulin, an attentive partner, also at ease with Mr. B’s vocabulary.
Natascha Mair and specially Suzan Oppermann (with Marat Davletshin) were “shining” on stage.

- Vier letzte Lieder (Master: Rudi van Dantzig): Just the presence of the sopran Olga Bezmertna on stage was reason enough to relax, “put your feet up” and enjoy this marvelous piece.
Kyoka Hashimoto/Mihail Sosnovschi, Ioanna Avraam/Mayasu Kimoto, Ketevan Papava/Kirill Kourlaev gave emotional performances.
The only uneven couple was Alice Firenze and Roman Lazik:
She, a real joy to watch in her vital, sensitive, substantial, strong performance and lovely, clean technique. He, (again) making suffering faces all the time (a very boring and very old-fashioned tendency - to turn dancing into suffer - that I had't experienced anymore in years) and very strangely made up. His Make-up was so "white" that it made his eyes "disappear". Normally Mr. Lazik is not an ugly man.

Perhaps the audience still remembered Shane Wuerthner in the “solo” role - the Angel of Death - and how he made it his own (he is still pictured on the programme’s cover).
Even so Eno Peci gave a fine performance because of the impact of his very strong stage presence that obviously appeal to many ballet-goers.

Not trying to quote the Marx Brother’s film, I must say:
One NIGHT at the Opera – another fine present for us from the “Legris’ era”!
It is GOOD to be an eye witness of all this...

Flores e motivos florais...

Pensando hoje em tomar hoje uns "Florais de Bach" para fazer um bem à minha alma, derepente me dei conta de como as flores e os motivos florais SEMPRE foram um «Must» na mundo da moda, na história feminina… Pensem em todos os quadros nos quais damas sempre usavam flores... ou na roupa, na estamparia ou como um simples adorno...

E vejam aqui só alguns exemplos do século passado…

Todas "minhas modelos" belíssimas, abusando do direito de serem «chic»…

Por exemplo uma das mais lindas fotos de moda do século passado... Um "número" florido,

aqui mais chapéus...

e um simples detalhe de Dior,

Grace Kelly no seu famoso vestido de "Janela indiscreta" (Rear Window), que agora, depois do filme ter sido restaurado, passou a ter seu amarelo original... e as lindas flores...

e mais uma vez Grace Kelly no belíssimo "Dior" que usou para fazer sua primeira visita a Rainier,

Julie Andrews, uma "english rose herself"

...e para finalizar tao distinquida "lista", Audrey... abusando do direito de ser "chic"!

Walter Spies: outro homem de talento e da paz destruído por outra absurda guerra...

Walter Spies, filho de alemães, nasceu em Moscou em 1925.

Ele cresceu em meios intelectuais e dedicado às Artes e já menino ele demontrava grande talento e apreciação à Natureza, música, dança e pintura. Falando diversas línguas o mundo era o óbvio “Salão” de Walter. Estudando em Dresden durante a Primeira Guerra Mundial conheceu artistas como Kokoschka, Chagall e Paul Klee.
Seus primeiros quadros foram apresentados em 1919 e foram muito bem recebidos.

Para “fugir” da barulhenta e suja Berlin ele se afastava assíduamente para a tranquila ilha de Sylt no Mar do Norte mas isto até decidir se afastar completamente da Europa: em 1923 ele embarcou para Java e acabou a primeira parte de sua “jornada” em Yogyakarta. Com um descomunal talento para línguas ele logo aprendeu Malay e Javanes. O sultão de Yogyakarta o convidou para conduzir sua orquestra… Ele mudou-se para o Keraton, o palácio do sultanato de Yogyakarta, e passou a transcrever música “gamelan” (tradicional), pela qual se havia apaixonado, para o papel.

Quando visitou Bali em 1925, ilha que “amou à primeira vista”, ele recebeu um convite do rei de Ubud para mudar-se para Bali permanentemente. Lá criou um centro intelectual dedicado à pintura de Bali (A sociedade Pita Maha). Spies iria muito influenciar os “tradicionais” pintores de Bali. Até hoje Ubud é conhecido como “O” centro cultural de Bali – Eu tive o prazer de estar lá há poucas semanas atrás…

Em 1926 cineastas alemães fizeram documentários sobre a Arte balinesa. O sucesso destes documentaries foi tão grande que muitos artistas foram atraídos para Bali. Personalidades como Cole Porter, Noël Coward, Vicky Baum, Margaret Mead e Charles Chaplin se hospedaram em Bali sendo ciceroneados por Walter Spies …

Mas as autoridades balinesas estavam já “controlando” a vida de Spies… não agradava nada à polícia de Denpasar a forma do estilo de vida “liberal” de todos estes artistas que "iam e vinham". Spies começou a se recolher, deixando (em suas próprias palavras) “de ser guia” para convidados (O grande magneto para todos estes artistas do Oeste não era realmente a arte balinesa porém a fascinante personalidade de Walter).

Mesmo assim ele foi preso em Dezembro de 1938 para só ser libertado em Setembro de 1939. Motivo: „comportamento indecente e imoral“ (por ele abertamente se reconhecer homossexual).

Quando durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial a Alemanha invadiu a Holanda, todos os alemães em Bali (que era um protetorado holandes) inclusive Walter Spies foram presos pelo governo das “Índias holandesas” e enviados para campos de prisioneiros em Sumatra.

Depois de algum tempo, já em 1942, foram removidos e levados ao navio “Van Ihmhoff” para serem levados ao Ceilão como prisioneiros (atualmente Sri Lanka) – no primeiro dia de viagem o navio foi bombardeado pelos japoneses.
Todos os tripulantes holandeses salvaram-se nos botes salva-vidas… Não deixaram porém de danificar os restantes botes para que os alemães nao pudessem se salvar (A maioria ainda estava presa, atrás de grades, na parte inferior do Navio).

Assim, desta forma brutal e cruel, Walter Spies deixou este mundo, um homem das artes, da sensibilidade, da paz… vítima do absurdo de outra absurda Guerra e da falta de sentido das perseguiçoes „em nome da moral“ por causa de ua escolha sexual. Seu trabalho é raro e muito valorizado. Se espelha nos seus quadros a vida rural, simples porém cheia dos mistérios de Bali – lugar onde a esotérica, os demonios e os Deuses que nos habitam fazem parte da vida cotidiana de todos…

Visitei o Bungalow de Walter em Ubud… e desde este dia ando estudando seu trabalho... Que personalidade fascinante!

The Glory of Love... yes...

Esta é uma daquelas canções que venho assobiando e cantando durante toda uma vida…

E o que mais me surpreende: me dar conta agora que só há alguns anos passei a entende-la, realmente compreende-la…

Aqui esta pequena jóia de simplicidade (e verdade) interpretada por ninguém menos do que a minha amada "The Divine Miss M." (Bette Midler)

You've got to give a little, take a little,
and let your poor heart break a little.
That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

You've got to laugh a little, cry a little,
until the clouds roll by a little.
That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

As long as there's the two of us,
we've got the world and all its charms.
And when the world is through with us,
we've got each other's arms.

You've got to win a little, lose a little,
yes, and always have the blues a little.
That's the story of, that's the glory of love.
That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

REMEMBERING: Marília Barbosa ("Os rouxinóis", Lamartine Babo,.. exatamente o que eu estava precisando ouvir...)

Já sonhando com verdes, matas, perfumes exóticos, cores definidas, flores e passáros tropicais que encontrarei “esperando por mim” nos próximos dias, descubro "por acaso" este número tão precioso de Lamartine Babo:

Lamartine, moleque, danado, humorado homem, que quando queria colocar poesia em notas, o conseguia mais que perfeitamente e se transformava num mestre de lirismo e seriedade... e isto de uma forma que, até hoje, nos tira a respiração e nos deixa simplesmente pensando: Porque estes talentos se foram tão jovens ?

Quem pode se esquecer de «Eu sonhei que tu estavas tão linda… numa valsa de raro esplendor… teu vestido de baile, lembro ainda, era branco, todo branco, meu amor... » ???? (Sempre quis coreografar isso... teria sido um lindo pas de deux... ).

Neste valioso video não reencontro só a poesia de Lamartine mas também a poesia da linda voz de Marília Barbosa, amiga de muitos anos… num momento extremamente melódico, concentrado, sensível...
Maravilhosa; daquela forma brasileiríssima de ser... do bom, gostoso Brasil cheio de poesia e sentimento que talvez ainda exista dentro das nossas almas!

O que dizer?
Não existem coincidencias…

"Ein Reigen" (Volksoper, April 29th 2014): Premiere and repetitiveness...

At first, after watching yesterday’s performance and talking to many dancers, in and out of the cast, during the after-Premiere party, I thought of not writing a review about the Show. It seemed utterly unfair.

Today I have decided otherwise. My “dilemma” in relation to “Ein Reigen” lies not on the talent of so many young dancers but somewhere else… I will try to explain why.

“Der Reigen” was one of the biggest theatre scandals in the 20th Century and was, after the “Schnitzler’s Trial”, forbidden on Austrian stages until 1982 (even though Films and Records were produced).

“Ein Reigen” , loosely based on “Der Reigen” from Arthur Schnitzler, differs primarily from the original in the story-telling’s main line… In the play all characters “meet” in “pre- and post-coital” situations. In yesterday’s ballet all characters have obvious “love/sex” scenes – unfortunately most of them extremely repetitious. After the second there was no more “surprise” (nor thrill) for the audience.

Monsieur Manuel Legris said in his speech after the show that it is very hard to find someone who’d accept to stage a full-length Ballet.

He is absolutely right.

To fill a whole evening’s programme one’s “choreographical vocabulary” must be extensive, huge in fact. Unfortunately this was not the case. Ashley Page’s choreography is not only repetitious but lacks completely the “ups and downs” that give rhythm to a “script”. After a while the story-telling became boring… not inventive, not challenging, not dynamic. All this added to a very questionable music score: Surely wonderful works from Mahler, Zemlinsky, Korngold, Berg etc. ON THEIR OWN – but all of them - especially put together - extremely gloomy and nearly depressing.

Once more very repetitious.

Perhaps the only “brilliant” use of music was Ravel’s La Valse at the very End of the Show. “La Valse” which, in fact, was never a success when used for a ballet – even though history shows us the many choreographers who envisioned this piece as “dance stuff”.

The concept of using “celebrities” makes it quite confusing and bothered me. I personally would have preferred the use of “fictious” characters (like played by Alice Firenze - see photo above) instead of Freud, Mahler, Kokoschka, Alma Mahler, Schönberg, Schiele etc… Here we are again into that English craze, apart from the big “cliché” which these characters bring along with, of trying to “use” Ballet as a platform for other forms of art, not using the language of dance but simply the “script form” of a play… MacMillan’s “Mayerling” is one of the best examples of how confusing this can be.
History books have their own language – so should Ballet (And do audiences and even the dancers really know all about who is being portrayed? Today's world pace is too quick to assimilate all that we should... )

One positive thing must be said about Mr. Page: His very pointed feeling for casting. Knowing the company, I enjoyed (nearly most) of his casting.

But...

...I still have not revealed the main point about deciding so late about writing a review about yesterday’s show or not.
It can be seasily described in simple three words:

Lack of Rehearsals.

Audience could feel that in many parts of the show the dancers were insecure (never “ending” movements) and very uncertain (especially musically). I was sitting beside another dancer and sometimes we’d look sadly at each other…

I am sure that with some more rehearsal this ballet may turn into a good one – even though I question why it was put on the stage of the Volksopera. Need of a financial magnet for tourists in having a ballet about “Vienna”?
It could be… I wonder if it will survive this season.

Even so I could witness again the lovely stage presence of Suzan Oppermann (on whom I could concentrate a lot!), Clara Soley, Flavia Soares (elegance), Gala Aura Jovanovic (exceptional in a “trouser’s role”), Ioana Avraam, Maria Alati (very daring! I like that), beautiful Denys Chrevychko (unfortunately dressed in a horrible costume) and Kirill Kourlaev.
Surprisingly enough for me was the fact that Mr. Roman Lazik, a dancer that I consider extremely “blasé” on stage, managed to show at last some emotion.

Eno Peçi and Dagmar Kronberger, great professionals who would never, for a single second, let the audience see a glimpse of discomfort or insecurity. I enjoyed especially to witness again their dancing together.

Ketevan Papava had the difficult (and notorious) Alma Mahler to portray. And she did a very good job out of the very ungrateful choreography that was given to her.

But three dancers outshone completely the rest of the company:

Eszter Ledán (Emilie Flöge), that seemed to have arrived directly out of the past and looked like a reincarnation of the famous Klimt’s portrait (so sorry I do not have a picture of Miss Ledán in this role),

Alice Firenze (Mitzi, a prostitute), full of strength, power, interpretation’s understanding.

It is needless to write about both dancer’s splendid technique.

and Misha Sosnovschi (here with Maria Alati as Wally Neuzil) , that gave life to Egon Schiele and had one of the best parts, choreographically and dramatically observed, of the show.

I can well imagine what a creative, construtive and committed “worker” Mr. Sosnovschi is.
Feeling “responsible” for his work (he is the one that has to go on stage and show to the audiences what the choreopgrapher created) he is surely the dream for every choreographer to work with.
Participation. That's the secret of a real artist...
Apart from his splandid technique and stage presence. I like that...

The use of the revolving stage of the Volksopera was no surprise.
Neither for the rest of the audience nor for me.
Once again the factor “repetitiveness” playing a role.

Sceneries were good but the costumes were excellent – even though they could be described as too “Volksopera affine”
(Both by Anthony McDonald.

BUT...

...one last question remains unaswered for me:
hasn’t “Wien, Wien, nur Du allein” (Maurice Béjart) a much greater “insight” into the Viennese gloomy, very depressive moods? Prostitution, Betrayal, Prater, Tarot cards, Murder…
In 1990 I had the privilege to watch this (marvelous) show (Marcia Haydée, Jorge Donn) at the State Opera.
It received very mild applause…

Yesterday’s applause was also lukewarm…
Do Viennese really want to see themselves portrayed?

Copyrights: Pictures from the Volksopera's programme and Thomas Schulz (Many Thanks, dear Thomas)

Follies: subindo e descendo escadas...

Inspirações podem ser espontaneas...às vezes não… mas, a verdade é que podemos até esquecer do que as causou...

Adoro um video que foi feito do espetáculo em honra dos 80 anos de Stephen Sondheim em 2010… Sim, o “mestre” nasceu em 1930…

Tantos maravilhosos talentos reunidos numa única noite, num único palco…

Principalmente a cena de “Follies” (que começa com “Beautiful Girls”, grande número…) prendeu completamente minha atenção e abusou de toda minha concentração (e continua com o mesmo efeito, apesar de eu já te-la assistido várias vezes!): David Hyde Pierce canta e introduz as fantásticas, veteranas Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters e Elaine Stritch, que simplesmente “arrasam” (Mais sobre as cenas indiduais de cada uma delas em próximas postagens de “As Tertúlias”)!



Como “não existem coincidências” recebi um destes dias o DVD de “Ziegfeld Girl” (MGM, 1941) com Judy Garland, Heddy Lamarr e Lana Turner… será que um garotinho de 11 anos deixou-se inconscientemente inspirar com esta cena de LanaTurner “descendo” as escadas…

O filme, na realidade, possui todo um simbolismo cínico sobre o “descer” e “subir” em volta do personagem de Lana:
ela é descoberta como ascensorista subindo e descendo elevadores, ela sobe aos palcos para ser uma estrela de Florenz Ziegfeld, subindo e descendo escadas, no final do filme infeliz e “mantida” por um homem velho ela “desce” e se volta para o álcool…

O simbolismo das escadas…

Sim será que o garotinho Sondheim se inspirou aqui, inclusive musicalmente?



(Um dia teremos também que falar sobre Bette Davis subindo e descendo as escadas da Warner por 15 anos... ).

"Loverly": Julie Andrews e seu ar contemplativo como Eliza...

Desde a versão de George Cukor de „My fair Lady“ (Warner, 1964), com Audrey Hepburn, o primeiro número de Eliza (“Wouldn’t it be loverly?”) vem-se transformando erroneamente num número “feliz”, cheio de sorrisos, risadas, felicidade... mas não foi isso o que Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe e Moss Hart „visualizaram“ para Eliza...
Muito pelo contrário.

Na versão original ela canta „o que poderia ser” de um ponto de vista mais meditativo, contemplativo…

Esta sempre foi MINHA teoria – infelizmente não era nascido quando o original foi feito na Broadway na estação teatral de 1955/56 e por este motivo não tinha como provar minhas suposições...

Mas não é que a vida me proporciona certas felicidades????

Encontrei um video de Julie (Andrews) num programa de televisão de Ed Sullivan de 1960.

Maravilhosa descoberta: Julie já estava em «Camelot» ao lado de Richard Burton mas para este programa recria esta cena que tinha feito até o ano anterior (já em Londres, depois da Broadway) com a coreografia original…

...e notem, o “ar” contemplativo, meditativo…´nada de falsas felicidades e afetações. Uma "flower girl" sonhando com um mundo melhor. Só isso!

“Loverly”. Eu tinha razão!

E tudo isto adicionado à simplicidade da coreografia, da cenografia e do "staging": AMO!