left: Asli Bulbul and company
in Angel Reapers, 2011.
below: Alessandra Ferri and
Herman Cornejo in rehearsal
for Chéri, 2013.
For years I have pursued Alessandra [Ferri] because she’s
an amazing actress. The Anna Magnani of ballet. We had
talked about working together at least 25 years ago; I met
her in New York at the height of her technical brilliance.
When she came to see Angel Reapers at the Joyce two
years ago, she smiled that bewitching smile of hers and
said to me, “I think I’m ready for you.”
Their talents are so extraordinary that it’s like having
the chance to play on a Stradivarius violin. You don’t
get any better than having these two remarkable
people. I think it’s a great partnership. It reminds me
of Rudolf Nureyev and Fonteyn…just real chemistry
and enormous generosity.
Through Lincoln Center I found Sarah Rothenberg,
a wonderful pianist. She speaks fluent French and
has lived in Paris. When I was looking for a writer,
the first person I called was Tina Howe, who’s a
Francophile. She and I had known each other over
the years because we used to get our hair cut at
the same place.
Signature: The world that surrounds this story
and these characters is a very colorful and
fantastic world. What interests you about this
period? How will you and the designers conjure
it onstage?
MC: I think one of my previous lives must have been
in 1900. I’ve done Chekhov, Pirandello. I’ve done Lautrec.
Something draws me to the turn of the century.
And I don’t question it. I love the music. I love the literature.
There’s something romantic about the dawn of the
twentieth century.
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