ROMEO & JULIET (American Ballet Theatre) March 2009
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Steamed
Allen - Troy

Temperamental... and by that I mean why was it so hot in the theater? The ushers said something about the American Ballet Theater wanting the temperature a certain setting. Unfortunately for those of us in the balcony that meant sitting in a 90 degree sauna. It was hard to see the action with sweat in my eyes. I might accept their reasoning if the A.B.T. were any good, but they delivered such a lackluster performance, spending more time strolling across the stage than actually dancing. They acted bored with it all. I've seen much better dancing at Nutcracker performances. I got such a pounding headache from the heat I had to leave at intermission. I thought I might pass out from heatstroke. It's okay though, I know how it ends... the temperamental dancers die. At least the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra was in top form. Prokofiev's music and the MOT Orchestra were the main reasons I attended and they at least did not disappoint.

Hot theater, good show
Annette - Farmington Hills

Like Allen from Troy, I was very upset with the heat. We were in the Trustee's Circle and the ushers also told us it was in the ABT contract. Fortunately we did not leave at the first intermission. Shortly after the second act began, there was suddenly air circulation. Clearly, someone (or every usher) did not know what they were talking about. The heat was really inexcusable. That circulation of air really improved matters. Further, we showed up at 7:00, our tickets had a start time of 7:30 printed on them. That was changed and the ballet started at 8:00. The Opera House has my email address, they send me advertisements all of the time. Why not use that same email list to make a general announcement of time change?

On a brighter note, I very much enjoyed the ballet and the symphony. I am glad I stayed. And I do generally like this venue, I know the seats and leg room are far superior to Orchestra Hall, The Music Hall and, especially, The Masonic Temple. I will return and hope that the mistake with the heat never occurs again.

Beautiful production, impressive soloists
Shelley - Dearborn

I attended the Saturday afternoon performance and thought it was wonderful! I was especially impressed with the soloists - Cory Stearns and Hee Seo. I thought it was a beautiful production and I was very happy I was able to attend!

Dancing was good, weather was fine
Iwona - Rochester

Very good performance. I especially liked the final scene. Also great music. I attended the Sunday performance (Trustee Circle) and I didn't experience any temperature malfunction.

Keep them coming
Lois - Shelby Township

We attended the Saturday evening performance, and our seats were in the Trustee Circle. ABT lived up to my expectations. Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg were brilliant. The heat was a little uncomfortable, but I didn't care. Please keep them returning to Detroit. Hot or cold, their performances are a highlight to my year!

Kudos for the supers
Joshua - St. Clair Shores

The ballet was breathtaking; I especially liked the supers this time around. They moved as though they were part of the main company. The energy of the ballet moved me to tears. The heat was a little uncomfortable, but after seeing Prince Escalus and his guards come to the stage I was again comforted by the elegance of the scene. Mercutio's dancer was well animated and the ballet as a whole is very much worth seeing again. Good job, ABT.

ABT a familiar pleasure
Chris - Rochester Hills

It was once again a pleasure to see American Ballet Theatre perform at the Opera House. Having seen ABT's production of Romeo & Juliet several times, I knew that it would be breathtakingly beautiful, and I wasn't disappointed. I hope that MOT will continue to feature ABT in their annual dance series.

Lovely
amanda q - Bloomfield Hills

It was a beautiful performance and a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Highly recommended!

Unforgettable
Chris Felcyn, WRCJ-FM - Detroit

Prokofiev's score, the MOT Orchestra, the sets, the costumes, the lighting and the brilliant ABT cast were all jaw-droppingly superb. One of the most unforgettable evenings I've ever had in the theatre.

We were on the main floor Friday night and didn't notice any problems with the heat.

Breathtaking
Kane - Livonia

I totally agree with Chris - the costumes, sets, and lighting were stunning and the MOT Orchestra was in perfect form. To that I'll add that Dvorovenko was absolutely *breathtaking* in the role of Juliet. If this did not move you, check your pulse.

Sunday's performance was grand! Xiomara Reyes was exquisite as Juliet, Herman Cornejo was splendid as Romeo. I saw fabulous acting and dancing from the entire company. The MOT orchestra was lovely as well.

I got there early and got to watch warm-ups and listen to a Ballet Talk, two things that really increased my pleasure.

In a time when money is tight, this performance was an amazing value, with some of the best dancers in the world and excellent pre-show programming to support it.

The only down side was that I didn't attend more performances. Next time ABT is in town, I will be sure to go more than once.