Pacific Northwest Ballet pops the cork on “The Merry Widow,” a lavish and effervescent story ballet, adapted from the Franz Lehar Viennese operetta, opening Thursday at McCaw Hall in Seattle.
The company gave this work its U.S. premiere in 2002, and it was a hit with critics and audiences. The choreography, by Ronald Hynd of the Royal Ballet, makes the most of Lehar’s melodic waltzes, enhanced by lush costumes and sets depicting Paris high society.
The story is set amid the political and romantic intrigue of the elegant embassies and cafes of Paris in 1905, where a small European country’s very existence lies in the hands of a rich widow and the man she chooses to marry. As the story unfolds, the country’s leaders conspire to keep the widow’s fortune from falling into foreign hands.
Hynd’s production of “The Merry Widow” has been a staple of dance companies around the world since its debut 30 years ago. Performances in Seattle continue weekends through March 27 with evening and matinee performances.
Chinese ballet: The Beijing Modern Dance Company meets Pink Floyd in a performance Saturday at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
The dance company, founded in 1995 as an independent dance troupe, will perform “Rear Light,” a 70-minute dance inspired by Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” the band’s groundbreaking album released in 1979.
The dance “Rear Light” reflects China’s younger generation, according to Willy Tsao, artistic director of the Beijing Modern Dance Company, and “their fight to be free from tradition and their search for new challenges.”
“Lord of the Dance”: The Irish dance juggernaut is back in Seattle for performances today through Sunday at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre.
Michael Flatley’s Celtic ballet, a mix of tap, ballet and flamenco, is an interpretation of one of Ireland’s most famous legends: the epic battle between the Dark Lord Don Dorcha and the Lord of the Dance.
Performed to contemporary Irish music, the sound of tapping feet and clapping hands is magnified through amplification in a multi-media extravaganza. The cast of dancers includes winners of national and world Irish dancing competitions.
The Beijing Modern Dance Company performs Saturday in Seattle.
Where to see it
“The Merry Widow”: A Pacific Northwest Ballet production Thursday through March 27 at McCaw Hall, Seattle Center. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, with matinees at 2 p.m. March 19 and 26 and at 1 p.m. March 27. $20-$137, 206-44-2424, www.pnb.org, and at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS.
Beijing Modern Dance Company: 8 p.m. Saturday, the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle. $22-$45, at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com.
“Lord of the Dance”: Various times today, Saturday and Sunday at The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Avenue, Seattle. $18-$48 at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com.
Where to see it
“The Merry Widow”: A Pacific Northwest Ballet production Thursday through March 27 at McCaw Hall, Seattle Center. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, with matinees at 2 p.m. March 19 and 26 and at 1 p.m. March 27. $20-$137, 206-444-2424, www.pnb.org, and at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS.
Beijing Modern Dance Company: 8 p.m. Saturday, the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle. $22-$45, at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com.
“Lord of the Dance”: Various times today, Saturday and Sunday at The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Avenue, Seattle. $18-$48 at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com.
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