Three “Petrushka” Debuts – October 2024

As winter weather peeks in — with snow predicted this last week in October for Petersburg — the wintertime setting of Mikhail Fokine’s 1911 production of “Petrushka” seems an apt choice for October billing. As the first in a three-ballet program on the 24th of October, the rather dark tale of the puppet retains its relevance today despite the macabre nature of the work.

In the Mariinsky version, set by Harry Christ in 2010, the curtain opens to turn-of-the-century Maslenitsa celebrations on a Petersburg square somewhere near the Admiralty building. Three dolls, the Moor, the Ballerina and Petrushka dance for viewers, but before they enter, street performers entertain the crowd for money, and drunken merchants perform traditional Cossack type knee-bends while guards dressed in long cobalt coats maintain order.

The puppet show magician, played by Nikolai Naumov, serves as the overall initiator of the action when he peeks through the puppet stage curtain with only his head,which seemingly floats without a body. Sharp turns of his head accent Stravinsky’s score, adding a note of mystery and intrigue. With a long white beard, hat and gold tunic frame a paunchy stomach, he enters the square playing the flute and bribes the guard to open the show curtains. Out come the three puppets to the curiosity of the crowd: the Moor, performed by Luka Dobosh, the Doll by Maria Shirinkina and Aaron Osawa-Horowitz as Petrushka. Naumov, Osawa-Horowitz and Dobosh all debuted in this particular performance.

Aaron Osava-Horowitz’s appropriately stylized Petrushka faithfully performed the choreography and achieved a few of the emotional nuances of the puppet’s character, but missing was the stronger sense of soulful longing and angst that can be emitted in this role. Luka Dobosh appeared every bit the ignorant, rough, uncultured Moor, carelessly toying with the Ballerina. Shirinkina’s tight footwork and coool demeanor suggested an equally soulless ballerina who nonetheless played her “role” well with the Moor. When she appears in the Moor’s room, dancing around him, blowing him kisses and willingly sitting on his lap twice, she seems enraptured, but soon escapes the advances of Petrushka, dismissing his declarations of love for her. After the squabble on the square outside, when the Moor slays Petrushka and the crowd gathers, the Magician rushes in to see what the commotion is about. Waving his hands over Petrushka’s limp body he seems to want to heal him but then lifts up a sawdust doll from the floor to prove his point to the crowd: there’s nothing here but a doll. But Petrusha’s soul-body, now on the roof of the puppet theatre, cries out, scaring away the Magician and drawing the actual curtain to a close.

The second piece on the bill, “Firebird”, offered lighter fare. As Ivan Tsarevich, Anton Osetrov carved the image of a handsome and stately Russian prince in every sense of the word. His good looks and expressive acting easily outshone Anastasia Nyukina as the Firebird, who performed the tiresome role quite well technically but lacked that indescribable sense of magic. Valeria Kuznetsova’s gentle poise and soft beauty served the role of the Tsarevna perfectly.

The last ballet on the program, “Scheherezade” offered top notch billing. With Ekaterina Kondaurova as the impeccably beautiful Zobeida and Vladimir Shklyarov as her Golden Slave, what more could a ballet lover ask for? Kondaurova’s cool facade in the opening scenes carefully covered boiling passion underneath that emerged as soon as she unlocked the gates to the slave cove. Shklyarov’s initial entrance also suggested an internal frenzy awaiting release. He prostrated himself at Zobeida’s feet first, and later kissed her stomach. Unfortunately the duet ended there. Back pain and possibly other injuries prevented Shklyarov from delivering the type of performance he typically offers. Hopefully this Honored Artist can take some time to heal amidst the current arduous schedule that the company must follow.

The main portion of the troupe returns this week from a 3-week China mega tour, and other offerings such as Little Humpbacked Horse, the Stone Flower, and a visit from the Bolshoi troupe will fill the first weeks in November.