National Ballet of Canada Hamlet reviews

Michael Crabb, Toronto Star: "much easier to admire than to like. It’s ambitious, full-blooded and compellingly danced to the hilt by our own National Ballet...Guillaume Côté, opening night’s Hamlet, doesn’t waste a nanosecond of it. He’s tortured emotion personified, whether careening around the stage in the choreographer’s deliberately rough edged ballet-contemporary style or crumpled up in despair. It’s a tour de force that more than earned its ovation."
http://www.toronto.com/article/731211

Dana Glassman, National Post:
"As Hamlet, the magnetic Côté succeeds in delivering a stellar, unforgettable performance. ..And dramatically, he has the audience in the palm of his hand, oozing angst throughout the 2-hour work....Heather Ogden is magnificent as Ophelia, delivering a mad scene that is positively chilling."
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/06/03/guillaume-cote-delivers-stellar-unforgettable-performance-in-national-ballets-hamlet/  

Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator:
"a daring dance drama that reimagines the facts of Shakespeare’s story in powerful physical terms....As Ophelia, Heather Ogden is a revelation. She may have danced as well before, but never has she been as emotionally raw, as physically startling.... Come see what the future of story ballet might look like."
http://www.thespec.com/whatson/article/737340--kain-s-hamlet-a-startling-balletic-vision

Paula Citron
"So, on a first go round, how does Hamlet fare? The ballet has some great roles, particularly for the men. It’s a North American premiere which makes it unique to the National on this side of the Atlantic. While Hamlet has eye-catching, edgy choreography, it does, unfortunately, suffer from repetition, especially in the first act. One can, however, live with the score because the choreography is relatively strong. More to the point, Hamlet shows off the company well. It should have a shelf life because it does demand repeated viewings, which is always a good sign. I left wanting to see Hamlet a second time (as opposed to never again)."
http://paulacitron.ca/dance/dance-review-kevin-odays-hamlet/ 


Graeme Bayliss, torontoist.com: http://torontoist.com/2012/06/national-ballet-of-canada-presents-hamlet/

John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun
"Taken as a whole, this represents a major balletic achievement, although it is far removed from traditional balletic adaptations of other classics, both musically and in its angular dance style which, even at its most fluid and passionate, remains oddly disturbed."
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/06/07/hamlets-good-no-question
(More reviews will be posted as they appear).

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