Sleeping Beauty Definitely NOT Disney

I have been ignoring my blog for too long and intend to use some vacation time to play "catch up."

The first show of this year's Key Bank Broadway Series was Matthew Bourne's ballet Sleeping Beauty. Let me start by confessing that I am not the world's biggest ballet aficionado. I have attended only a handful, the usual suspects: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, etc. But I'm open to expanding my experience base, so I went into this show with an open mind. The performance garnered positive reviews in local media, building my anticipation.

To my surprise, the theater was sparsely populated during our Saturday afternoon performance. It didn't take me long to understand why. The Bourne staging is a combination of modern dance, classical ballet and unusual, imaginative story-telling. It would not be everyone's cup of tea, particularly the older, more staid crowd who usually populate Playhouse Square performances.

The story itself was vastly different from the Disney version. There was no handsome prince; rather, the "hero" was a gardener/caretaker's son. The fairies were, in reality, vampires. Sleeping Beauty's affections were fought over between an evil fairy and the heroic vampire. The ending, (spoiler alert) with a flying baby, was, well... unexpected.

I can't say I disliked Sleeping Beauty, but neither was I overjoyed with it. I certainly appreciated the fantastic choreography and the nuanced performances.

Missie and I are still trying to come up with a new, post-Bricco show routine. Before the show, we dined and drank at the new Italian restaurant that replaced Bricco, Cibreo Italian Kitchen, The service was good, the food likewise good and the cocktails acceptable. Our consensus was that it was somewhat overpriced and nowhere near as much fun as Bricco. We likely won't make this part of our routine.

At intermission, we jogged down to Parnell's Irish Pub for potty and shots. Missie's classic comment about the show as we walked: "Would it kill 'em to say something once in a while?"

After the show, we drove to the Bricco on West Market in Akron for real cocktails and conversation. There we were gently accosted by another patron for not reveling in Bourne's adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. again, neither of us hated the show -- we just didn't love it.

There are only two shows this season that I really want to see: Once and Wicked. Yes, I've watched Once the Movie and this will be my fourth or fifth showing of Wicked. The excitement of live theater is that every performance is different and either show could still surprise me. Also, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been added to the schedule, replacing The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. I see that as a good thing.