Without the story, “Swan Lake” is just a bunch of steps. And that’s how Peter Martins often treats his “streamlined” version at New York City Ballet.
The tragic tale of Prince Siegfried and his love, Odette (and evil Odile, who fools Siegfried by impersonating her), is one of ballet’s best known, best loved pieces. Tchaikovsky’s great score is so popular that just about everyone does his take, from traditional to drag.
Martins’ method is more traditional, but compressed, sped-up and, like much of his work, emotionally distant. Per Kirkeby’s disturbing designs (jagged paint slashes across chalky backdrops) match the ambivalence of Martins’ production, which returned to Lincoln Center Wednesday night.
Rubbery, long-legged Maria Kowroski played the dual roles of white and black swans. Her legs went sky-high, but at times the stage seemed as slippery as the icy roads. Her Prince Siegfried, Stephen Hanna, saved her from a skid at the outset, and that set the tone.
Hanna, a tall, strapping, boy-next-door type, has returned to the company after a spell in Broadway’s “Billy Elliot.” (He played the older Billy.) He’s matured and is more princely, but wasn’t connecting deeper to the story than the surface of swans, brides and vows.
That’s what’s missing in this version — the stuff below the surface that makes this fairy tale not just great music and lots of dancing, but a fable of love and destiny. Some of it’s there, but not enough. Kowroski and Hanna got better by the big finale, but that was late in the game. You’d never know the two of them were falling in love when they first met.
The Swan corps looked under-rehearsed at their first entrance, but also got better as they went along, though at hectic tempos better for roadrunners than swans.
The night’s best dancing came from Daniel Ulbricht, in his element as the quicksilver Jester, and a quartet featuring Joaquin De Luz with three women all turning like tops.
Even if this isn’t the most moving version, a different cast — or even this one, on a more inspired night — could make it work. Before this run ends, two other swans — Sara Mearns and Ashley Bouder, who’ve both triumphed in the role before — will try their wings. It could end up a very different bird.
