Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 ABT Whipped Cream

2 | AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE — WHIPPED CREAM | APRIL 11-14, 2019 PROGRAM Whipped Cream Choreography by ALEXEI RATMANSKY Music and Libretto by RICHARD STRAUSS Set and Costume Design by MARK RYDEN Scenic Design supervision by CAMELLIA KOO Costume Design supervision by HOLLY HYNES Lighting Design by BRAD FIELDS Synopsis: ACT I On a beautiful Sunday, a Boy and his friends receive their first communion. To celebrate the special occasion, they are taken to a confectioner’s shop, where they are served their favorite sweets. The Boy, who particularly loves whipped cream, eats so much that he becomes ill and has to be taken away. With the children gone, the shop comes alive. Marzipan archers, spear-wielding Sugarplums, and swashbuckling Gingerbread Men engage in military exercises. Princess Tea Flower appears and is captivated by Prince Coffee, who she chooses as her mate. Prince Cocoa and Don Zucchero attempt to win her favor, to no avail. The Chef appears with his bowl and whisk, whisking cream, and the shop fades away into a world of the Boy’s dreams – a world made entirely of whipped cream. INTERMISSION ACT II The Boy, still sick from too much whipped cream, finds himself in a dark and sinister hospital room attended by a Doctor and an army of Nurses. They give him medicine and leave the room. In their absence, a fantastic procession, led by Princess Praline, arrives and helps the Boy escape. The Doctor is suffering from a headache. He tries to relieve his pain with liquor – and then the liquor bottles come to life. The Nurses return and see that the Boy has disappeared. They find him and lead him back to his bed, but the liquor bottles intervene and intoxicate the Doctor and Nurses, allowing Princess Praline to free the Boy and whisk him away to her kingdom. In the main square of Princess Praline’s domain, creatures of all kinds are celebrating. The Boy meets Nicolo, the Master of Ceremonies, who welcomes him to this fantasy world that will now become his reality. Production History: Whipped Cream , originally created as Schlagobers , received its World Premiere at the Vienna State Opera on May 9, 1924, with choreography by Heinrich Kröller. The present production of Whipped Cream , with choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, was given its World Premiere on March 15, 2017 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA, danced by Daniil Simkin (The Boy), Stella Abrera (Princess Tea Flower), David Hallberg (Prince Coffee), and Sarah Lane (Princess Praline). Music for Whipped Cream used by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner. Costumes constructed by Cygnet Studio, Inc., New York, NY; Eric Winterling, Inc., New York, NY; Euro Co Costumes, Inc., New York, NY; John Kristiansen, New York, NY; Parsons-Meares, LTD., New York, NY Crystals from Swarovski Giant heads fabricated by Michael Curry Design, Inc. Fantasy characters fabricated by Randy Carfagno Productions Millinery by Lynne Mackey Studio, New York, NY; Caryn Wells, New York, NY; JRenee Studio, Athens, OH Wigs constructed by Rena Most, Jill Haley Footwear by Pluma, Portland, OR Scenery painted and constructed by Global Scenic Services, Bridgeport, CT; Scenic Art Studios, Newburgh, NY Leadership support for Whipped Cream , part of The Ratmansky Project, has been generously provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence A. Deutsch Foundation. Leadership support for The Ratmansky Project has been provided by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund. Additional support has been provided by Dr. Joan Taub Ades, Linda Allard, Sarah Arison, Steven Backes, Lisa and Dick Cashin, Mark Casey and Carrie Gaiser Casey, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation, Linda and Martin Fell, Vicki Netter Fitzgerald, William J. Gillespie, Brian J. Heidtke, Caroline and Edward Hyman, The Marjorie S. Isaac/Irving H. Isaac Fund, Robin Chemers Neustein, Howard S. Paley, Pearl T. Maxim Trust, Bernard L. Schwartz, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, John Leland Sills and Elizabeth Papadopoulos-Sills, Melissa A. Smith, The H. Russell Smith Foundation/Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, Sutton Stracke, and Sedgwick Ward.