Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 Point of No Return
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) comes to the Auditorium this spring to present the Chicago premiere of Whipped Cream . The spectacular ballet features amazing choreography by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky and stunning sets and costumes designed by the artist Mark Ryden . . Learn more about the creation of this delightful confection with these facts and figures! American Ballet Theatre’s Whipped Cream : By the Numbers American Ballet Theatre’s Whipped Cream GENE SCHIAVONE All of the wigs, beards, mustaches, and even a prosthetic nose seen in Whipped Cream were created by ABT’s Hair and Makeup Department — that’s 20 wigs, 3 beards and mustaches, and 1 nose. The character Nicolo wears a particularly show-stopping braided wig that measures over 2 feet long. The original production of Richard Strauss’ libretto and score for Schlagobers (German for “whipped cream,” of course!) premiered at the Vienna State Opera and featured choreography by the German choreographer Heinrich Kröller in 1924 . It was called “the billionaire’s ballet” when it premiered because it cost over four billion kronen (the Austrian currency at the time) to produce . Alexei Ratmansky’s version of the ballet — which features Strauss’ original score but all-new choreography — premiered in 2017 . It took 1 year to create the costumes and sets. Mark Ryden had worked on 0 similar projects in his career. “I had never done sets and costumes before,” he said in an interview. “The process of translating my art into functional three-dimensional sets and costumes was involved and complicated … fortunately, it all went really well. It was thrilling to see everything come together at the end.” Approximately 150 costumes were created for the production. ABT worked with 11 different costume shops to create the various pieces! The giant heads that some of the dancers wear throughout the production may look heavy, but they are actually made out of a special carbon fiber material that makes them light as a feather. Artwork by Mark Ryden ROSALIE O’CONNOR 3 bottles of liquor come to life in Whipped Cream — vodka, pink champagne, and plum brandy. Christine Shevchenko, Alexandre Hammoudi, and Thomas Forster as the dancing liquors in Whipped Cream 8 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | April 11 - May 19, 2019
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