Last night, I went to the ballet for the first time and saw one of my all time favorite childhood stories,
The Little Mermaid, come to life. It was absolutely stunning. The story is so much more beautiful and tragic than Disney would have us believe (although I am still a sucker for an enchanting Disney movie - hello,
Beauty and the Beast?). During intermission, I realized how upset I was that the little Mermaid just couldn't catch the Prince's eye. Why didn't he recognize her?! She traded everything she knew and loved so that she could be with him on land, in his world. And he just didn't see her for who she was.
After a glass of wine, my hope was renewed that, during the second act, she would become more accustomed to his world and be able to convince him that she had been his rescuer at sea, not the princess he was engaged to marry. But no! The story just became more and more tragic when she was forced to be a bridesmaid in his wedding. The dancers were amazing and the modern, disjointed movements of the little Mermaid were heartbreaking; she tried to hide under the bride's veil and wept in the corner while all of the other girls danced in celebration. Nothing could console her! Somehow, the evil
Sea Witch appeared at the wedding and tried to convince the little Mermaid to kill the Prince in exchange for her return to the sea as a mermaid. She tried to do it, but she just couldn't - she loved him! There was one hopeful moment when they almost kissed, and I just knew she would convince him to fall back in love with her. But they didn't, and so she couldn't.
The little Mermaid was devastated once she realized he would never love her and she would be trapped on land forever. She tore off her cumbersome bridesmaid dress and writhed around in devastation, trapped inside a tiny room until she had exhausted herself and fallen asleep. The ballet ended when the Poet, who had created the little Mermaid out of his own frustration and unrequited love for the Prince, joins her in her misery, controlling her every move, as he had been from the beginning, unbeknownst to her. The two moved together tragically across a starry-night stage, destined to wander the earth in sadness as the curtain came down.
Tell me you are not completely enraptured by this story! Plus, imagine all of this in the gorgeous
War Memorial Opera House. Add to that a very modern interpretation of the story as reflected in the sets, costumes and dancing, all with just a hint of 60s mod, and I think you would have been just as overcome as I was. Although...in the words of
Lumiere, "then again, maybe not." ;-)
I wish I had a better photo than this one because the inside of the Opera House was even more beautiful than the outside, but I only had my phone with me.
Ballet photo from here.
