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Dracula is in great shape at Milwaukee Ballet. Michael Pink’s early masterpiece is both terrifically entertaining and a manifesto of his values as a ballet choreographer. Those include a commitment to serious storytelling with fully-dimensional characters and resonant themes, great respect for dancers and designers, for virtuosity and artistry in service to a greater whole, and to equality and inclusiveness.
The story holds up. We meet the monster in the literal nightmare that is Act One, Jonathan Harker’s dream recollection of his time in Transylvania. Pink’s Dracula is alluring, physically powerful, imperious and several kinds of animal—so male. Harker is utterly vulnerable. Half-naked and agonized, he’s forced to partner Dracula in an all-consuming dance, unable to escape this creature lusting to feed on him. What could be worse for a man or woman?
For me, the genius stroke occurs in Act Two when Philip Feeney’s masterful score goes deliberately haywire. Ugly music slowly collides with, and ultimately demolishes, the lively dance melodies to which the wonderful Milwaukee Ballet dancers, dressed as well-to-do Brits of the late 19th century, have been treating us; silly-skillful classical ballet corps dances that start to look mindless. Only Harker senses what’s coming; he curls up and cowers.
With a crash, David Grill’s blue-purple lighting drenches the stage. Dracula has come to lure Lucy—the belle of the party—up the grand steps of Lez Brotherston’s gorgeous set to a balcony that could belong to Juliet. He drinks her blood as the oblivious citizens below continue to party in hyper-slow motion. Soon we’ll see the vampire Lucy infect a child. Chaos is spreading. All we hold dear is threatened.
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Act Three belongs to the empathetic Mina Harker, whom Dracula determines to control. This act includes a pas de deux for Mina and the mentally ravaged Renfield who partners her with arms strapped in a straight-jacket.
The evening performances boasted the incomparable Luz San Miguel, ending her onstage career. What struck me most about her Lucy this time was her generosity, her evident love for everyone on stage. Both casts gave ideal performances—a credit, also, to Pink’s direction. If Davit Hovhannisyan owns the role of Dracula, Patrick Howell was just as stunning in the matinee performance. Nicole Teague-Howell remains an ideal Mina. In major role debuts, Annia Hidalgo’s Mina, Marize Fumero’s Lucy, and the Harkers of Randy Crespo and Garrett Glassman were wonderful.
