Plushenko to Skate Romeo and Juliet Program | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Plushenko to Skate Romeo and Juliet Program

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
To me, this whole conversation is silly. As DianaSelene says in post 13, Plushenko will not be "portraying" anyone, he will be competing in a skating contest, with musical accompaniment.

In this performance, is he "portraying" a crime boss? ("All the others can forget about the gold medal. Just sit back and watch a master at work" -- the Eurosport guys.) Maybe he should have skated to "The Untouchables."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajp5xglwb0k
 

LuCN

Rinkside
Joined
May 3, 2011
well,I think most programs nowadays don't have a "story" or "role" in it.skaters just use music as a background,obey the rule...so how old is Plushenko is not very important...

after all,Kenji Miyamoto is a genius choreographer,I believe if the program isn't watered down by Mishin like before,it will be a good program...
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Normally I'd agree with you, SF, but this is the magic of theater: if it's done right, the age melts away. i know that the Zeffirelli movie (the one with the Rota music) cast young teenagers in the leads to match Shakespeare's original intent, but two of the best performances of this pair were Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in the ballet (with Prokofiev's music), and (I finally got to see this!) the old MGM movie with a thirty-year-old Norma Shearer and a forty-year-old Leslie Howard. (In the ballet, Fonteyn, older than Nureyev by quite a bit, was at least in her forties.) There's a magic realm in which these portrayals work perfectly, and it's especially effective in less literal performing arts, such as opera, ballet, and skating. So I'd give him a look before worrying about Juliet's age, unless Plushy actually skates with a fourteen-year-old partner. Besides, he might decide to portray, say, Mercutio or Tybalt. (By the way, the Mercutio in the MGM movie was an aging but amazing John Barrymore. It's worth a look!)

As usual Olympia is the wonderful voice of reason. The ice arena should be no different than a theater stage especially when the subject is a Shakespearean play. On stage anything should be allow to happen without prejudices just like uh... Patrick Chan is not really a phantom that can sing. :rolleye:

Othello can be white, black, asian, alien, woman, man, it doesn't matter. Richard the third is not really played by a hunch back. And Viola in mid summer night's were played by a man playing as a woman disguising as a man. Shakespeare of all people showed the utter freedom to love and embrace new possibilities regardless of genders or age in his plays. He married Ann Hathaway who is 8 years older than him when he was barely legal. Given Plushy who's still in his prime that shares similar dashing ways to the character Romeo, I really doubt very much he'd object. Besides, many opera singers, ballet dancers have played the young and old convincingly with craft and skill, so why should not Plushy be allow to do the same? It is drama, there should not be limit on ANYTHING!

It the performer's job to make it work. If it doesn't - then it is another story, but see it first before jump the gun? Will it be a comedy of errors or a tragedy much ado about nothing? Or perhaps an utter triumph that brings the house down? Artistically, I doubt it would be that far apart from the typical Patrick Chan performance we have been witnessing. So everything is still up in the air as far as I am concerned. ;)
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Klimova & Ponomarenko - http://youtu.be/roIjwsfWnP0
Anissina & Peizerat - http://youtu.be/N4Wqpc4xL5Q
Gregory & Petukhov - http://youtu.be/XCOK3ilXF3Q
Kurt Browning - I think it was his 1991 LP?

just a few I could think of that were done by folks in their mid 20s or older... it's not creepy.

Yum to all of them! Klimova and Ponomarenko were among the best romantic skaters of all time. To me they had the obvious bond that Gordeyeva and Grinkov shared, and it added so much to the emotion they portrayed. Add to that their embodiment of generations of Russian soul, and the effect was like an electrical charge.

Annissina and Piezerat's R and J was the program that made me their fan. Before that, I had resented their besting of Bourne and Kraatz, but when I laid eyes on that program, I was sold on them for all time.
 

emma

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
I find myself on the side of Plushy is skating a competitive program with/to this music; not that he is becoming or performing Romeo. And even so, I do feel that the 'magic of theater' is acting convincingly so that you can be older and portray youthfulness or younger and portray age and so forth.

Anyway, regardless of that part of the discussion in this thread, and although we have no idea how any of these guys will skate their programs or how these programs will even be intended to be skated, I find all this off season upping the ante from the older guys really exciting (gotta hope that among them is Abbot, keeping a program or getting another set of great programs and conquering those competition nerves; and yes, there are lot's of newer and younger guys i love too).

Plushy seems more than serious about competing at a high level and getting COP friendly programs (which I think also means pushing himself in areas of his skating that simply cannot be easy for him to do).

Love the photograph that someone gave a link to on the first page of this thread - thanks!!!!
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Klimova & Ponomarenko - http://youtu.be/roIjwsfWnP0
Anissina & Peizerat - http://youtu.be/N4Wqpc4xL5Q
Gregory & Petukhov - http://youtu.be/XCOK3ilXF3Q
Kurt Browning - I think it was his 1991 LP?

just a few I could think of that were done by folks in their mid 20s or older... it's not creepy.

Another Romeo&Juliet (Tchaikovsky) program by a dance team in their 20s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNo0HGiPLG8


I wish I could find the one by Karyn and Rod Garossino from 1986. As sister and brother they weren't particularly romantic in their expression, but they did use the palm-to-palm gesture inspired by the text.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
^ :rock: For costume and make-up we have Romeo's description:

Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness
And fearest to die? Famine is in thy cheeks,
Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes,
Contempt and beggary hangs upon thy back
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Klimova & Ponomarenko - http://youtu.be/roIjwsfWnP0
Anissina & Peizerat - http://youtu.be/N4Wqpc4xL5Q
Gregory & Petukhov - http://youtu.be/XCOK3ilXF3Q
Kurt Browning - I think it was his 1991 LP?

just a few I could think of that were done by folks in their mid 20s or older... it's not creepy.

I don't think Kurt or any older male Single skate has performed R&J. As I said before, I have no problem with a couple of mature skaters taking on the roles, but a solo male skater has the original 14 year old as the default love object.

well,I think most programs nowadays don't have a "story" or "role" in it.skaters just use music as a background,obey the rule...so how old is Plushenko is not very important...

Then let's see how he will be costumed, as Romeo or the Godfather.

Love the photograph that someone gave a link to on the first page of this thread - thanks!!!!

You are welcomed. They all look good there, don't they?
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
If I may add to the list of grand music for Romeo and Juliet, both Berlioz and Gounod have composed full-length works on this subject. Berlioz has a meltingly lovely "dramatic symphony" with choral sections, including this piece:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8CFxjjG92g

And here's a bit of Gounod's opera, Romeo et Juliette:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VoC0OjBkmA

I know that competitive solo skating doesn't allow vocal sections, but there's always ice dancing....
 
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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I don't think Kurt or any older male Single skate has performed R&J.

Here's Kurt as a happy-go-lucky 32-year-old Romeo (Prokofiev) at the 1998 World Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlDjWmSMtSw

He folled around and finished last for this effort. Which was a shame, because he swept the competition in the LP with his clown program. He would have beat Yagudin at his prime if he hadn't been so careless in the short.

Here's Victor Petrenko age 28, with a little more traditional treatment (Rota) at the 1997 World Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlDjWmSMtSw

According to Skate Music List, R&J have been offered by Fumio Igarashi, 1981 Worlds; Petr Barma (age 24), 1991 worlds; and Ilia Kulik, 1997 Worlds.

Sasha Cohen was 21 in 2006. No one felt icky about this cougar robbing the cradle by tilting her hat at a supposed imaginary 16-year-old Romeo.
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
^^^^ I quite enjoyed Kurt's program. From the music cut and his costume, he was more playing a scene than the role and the romance, which is a route to take. I don't know what Plushenko's approach will be but am voicing a reaction if he plays it straight as a young man, possibly a teenager, in love with and marrying a 14 year girl, sort of the same reaction many have about siblings portraying sexual passion. Many Ladies have skated as Juliet but Romeo has never been asumed to be 14 year old. His age was never given but generally assumed to be quite young but older than Juliet. He started in the story with a failed romance already.

I would love to see Petrenko's take on it but you have linked back to Kurt's performance, Mathman.
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
SF, you do realise Romeo is such a classic archetype story / character (practically the male version of Carmen minus the medal winning program), that Patrick may very well do later in his career, probably in his late 20s or even 30s. I wonder if your reaction will still be the same then?

What about an older Juliet in her 20s or even 30s like Akiko would be perfectly able to do or is that a big nono too? While we are at it, I don't recall any 'sexual passion' with 14 years olds in the play. You must be viewing some other movie which I wouldn't like to get into ...and even if there was, so what?! In love and romance, age should have no limit, whether you are 15 or 60 year old, whatever the gender or mix.

Centuries ago, people used to get married in their teens, nowadays in their late 20s, 30s or even 40s/50s, so the idea romance certainly still works for me even if we get an 80years old geriatric Romeo doing half speed. If he can romance the audience, he deserve to be a Romeo!!
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
os, I certainly don't want to see Patrick play Romeo in his late 20s or older, not straight as a romantic young lad in a solo anyways.

I already stated I have no issue with retelling and remake of the story such as many variations already presented in movies or by on ice couples. And if you read my earlier posts, I also have no issue with coupling of consenting adults of any age difference.

Centuries ago people used to get married in their teens, especially girls. OTOH, 30 was considerably older than today's 30. Even then, parents might marry their 14 year old daughter off to a 30 year old man in some circumstances, but a 30 year old marrying a 14 year old girl in secret against her parents' wish was still not acceptable.

Anyway, I'd like to see how Plushenko actually handles this role if he indeed plays Romeo before further comments. So far, Ive been dragged into reacting to posts rather than the actual performance.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Here's Kurt as a happy-go-lucky 32-year-old Romeo (Prokofiev) at the 1998 World Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlDjWmSMtSw

He folled around and finished last for this effort. Which was a shame, because he swept the competition in the LP with his clown program. He would have beat Yagudin at his prime if he hadn't been so careless in the short.

Here's Victor Petrenko age 28, with a little more traditional treatment (Rota) at the 1997 World Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlDjWmSMtSw

According to Skate Music List, R&J have been offered by Fumio Igarashi, 1981 Worlds; Petr Barma (age 24), 1991 worlds; and Ilia Kulik, 1997 Worlds.

Sasha Cohen was 21 in 2006. No one felt icky about this cougar robbing the cradle by tilting her hat at a supposed imaginary 16-year-old Romeo.

Thanks, Math! I hadn't remembered Kurt's number. Even with its faults, one can see the rapid shifts of balance, and the attention to the rhythm of the rather hectic piece. I'm almost tempted to say that he's portraying Mercutio rather than Romeo, though of course he may just be skating to the music itself, not enacting a character. Either way, it's a fabulous look at his abilities, though he doesn't completely carry it off this time around.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Even then, parents might marry their 14 year old daughter off to a 30 year old man in some circumstances, but a 30 year old marrying a 14 year old girl in secret against her parents' wish was still not acceptable.

Plushy could play the 30 (?) year old Paris, whom the Capulets were trying to force Juliet to marry against her will.

Or...he could make an announcement at the beginning of the performance: "Every would-be Romeo has his secret Juliet. Mine happens to be 30 years old. I dedicate this performance to her." :)

Anyway, I'd like to see how Plushenko actually handles this role if he indeed plays Romeo before further comments.

Amen. :clap: Let the boy skate. There will be plenty of time to criticize his performance when we actually see it. :yes:
 

ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Speaking of Shakespeare heroes, I think Plushenko could pull off a good Hamlet, but he wouldn't want to do it. Hamlet is not a lover and is more mature than Romeo. Shostakovich composed great music for the movie Hamlet. It's pretty gloomy though.

Oh, how about Prospero? Or Coriolanus?
 
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