#martha swope

[swanlake1998]

clover mathis and lydia abarca photographed in jerome robbins’ afternoon of a faun by martha swope

#clover mathis #lydia abarca #ballet #ballerino #ballerina #martha swope

[cyndeliat]

Patricia McBride and Edward Villella in Dances at a Gathering, 1969 ph. Martha Swope

#patricia mcbride #edward villella #martha swope #nycb #ballet

[lisamarie-vee]

#cicely tyson #james earl jones #1960s #martha swope #the blacks #theatre #jean genet #b&w

[desertdreamingariver]

#martha swope #bernadette peters

[fuckyeahpetercook]

DUDLEY MOORE and PETER COOK in 1973, performing during the Broadway run of their Good Evening tour. Photographed by Martha Swope.

#peter cook #dudley moore #good evening #martha swope #1970s #stage

[federer7]

Unidentified dancer in rehearsal for the stage production Cats. 1982

Photo: Martha Swope

#Martha Swope #dancer #cats #1982 #rehearsal

[balanchine-ballet-master]

The First Lincoln Center Nutcracker

The Waltz of the Snowflakes. Photo: Andrea Mohin for the NY Times

On December 11, 1964, the New York City Ballet danced the first Nutcracker in its new home at Lincoln Center.

A 2015 article by Laura Jacobs in Vanity Fair gave a lengthy account of that first performance. Here are some excerpts:

“I recall sitting in the chair right before the curtain going up,” says Jean-Pierre Frohlich, who 50 years ago danced the role of bratty little boy Fritz in that afternoon's performance. "It's strange to explain, but in the overture you're between the angel curtain and the scrim, and for some reason that angel drop was moving forward, moving forward, moving forward—because of all the air. There's a lot of air in that theater."

Shaun O'Brien as Drosselmeyer, Judith Fugate as Clara (as she was then called), and Jean-Pierre Frolich as the Nutcracker Prince. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

“It was very exciting,” says Gloria Govrin, who that day unveiled a sinuous new version of the Arabian Coffee dance in Act Two. A "mini-Salome," Balanchine called it. Previously the piece had been for a man with a hookah and four little-girl parrots. But Balanchine decided, "We're going to wake up the fathers," and so for glamorous Govrin, all five foot ten of her, he fashioned a seductive solo of Georgian Orientalism. "I remember the reception of doing it," says Govrin, "because nobody knew there was going to be a change. It got a huge ovation, several bows. In the middle of Nutcracker it's kind of unusual to have one or two more bows."

Allegra Kent, who was just returning from the birth of her second child when she danced the Sugarplum Fairy, recalls, "It was thrilling! Bigger stage, farther to run, farther to jump, more expansive, more magic, more exultation in your blood."

“I remember [Balanchine] rehearsing the Waltz of the Flowers,” says Frohlich, “and just telling them to ‘move big, you’re young, move ... ’"

The Waltz of the Flowers, led by Tiler Peck. Photo: Andrea Mohin for the NY Times

Down in the orchestra pit, the timpanist Arnold Goldberg was positioned, as always, to see Balanchine in his usual place, downstage right. What Goldberg hasn't forgotten in five decades of State Theater Nutcrackers is the first time the Christmas tree—this one bigger, better, and more beautiful than before—began its inexorable growth upward. It wasn't the 4:45 performance but the dress rehearsal, and Goldberg was watching not the tree but Balanchine. "He's standing with his hands in his jeans pockets, looking around," says Goldberg. "And it came up. He was breathless. It was priceless, the joy of watching Mr. B.'s face . . . I mean, he'd dreamt about it. He had the stage built so that the tree could be one piece. That tree meant everything to The Nutcracker."

The Nutcracker Prince (Leighton Ho) battles the Mouse King (Justin Peck) in front of the tree. Photo: Andrea Mohin for the NY Times

“He used to love to rehearse the mice,” says Govrin. “There were always his pet pieces in a ballet, parts he was constantly either tinkering with or just in there doing it with people.” Also, says Barbara Horgan, “the dancers were holding back because they felt silly doing little mice steps.”

“What I heard him say a number of times,” says [Patricia] Wilde, “aside from his own recollections of being a child in The Nutcracker and how much he loved it, he was thinking of it as a gift to American children. A lovely Christmas experience.”

“What makes his Nutcracker so fantastic for children,” says Robert Weiss, “is it’s about them.”

#The Nutcracker #Balanchine #George Balanchine #NYCB #New York City Ballet #Jean-Pierre Frolich #Gloria Govrin #Allegra Kent #Arnold Goldberg #Patricia Wilde #ballet #Robert Weiss #Christmas #Lincoln Center #Andrea Mohin #Martha Swope #Judith Fugate #Shaun O'Brien

[susantyrrell]

Susan Tyrrell and Al Pacino in a scene from the Repertory Theater at Lincoln Center’s production of Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real, 1970.

Photo by Martha Swope and courtesy of the Billy Rose Theatre Division at New York Public Library.

#susan tyrrell #al pacino #tennessee williams #Camino real #lincoln center #Martha swope #1970 #play #repertory theater

[swanlake1998]

lourdes lopez photographed performing in balanchine's divertimento no. 15 by martha swope

#lourdes lopez #ballet #ballerina #martha swope

[cyndeliat]

Suzanne Farrell, Edward Villella, and Arthur Mitchell in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1966

#martha swope #nycb #suzanne farrell #edward villella #arthur mitchell #ballet

[glimeres]

Kathi Moss as Madam Peepee in the Original Broadway production of Grand Hotel, 1989 (x) Photography by Martha Swope

#kathi moss #grand hotel #maury yeston #george forrest #robert wright #martha swope #musical #broadway #posted

[whartonists]

Christine Baranski in The Real Thing at the Plymouth Theatre, 1984. Photo by Martha Swope

#this photo kills me dead every time #also: modern au agnes #christine baranski

[lisamarie-vee]

#kevin kline #linda ronstadt #the pirates of penzance #b&w #1980s #martha swope

[desertdreamingariver]

Everyone say "Thank you Martha Swope."

#martha swope #bernadette peters

[clairemercie]

Mimi Paul and Francisco Moncion in Jewels, ph. Martha Swope

[voltives]

in one of the rare, you-can-count-on-one-hand events my two favourite broadway ladies have (sort of) crossed paths, i am very pleased to realise that there is footage of donna murphy in the off-broadway revue showing off, dressed up in attire reminiscent of the 1996 revival of *chicago's hot honey rag, and dancing alongside douglas bernstein, who wrote showing off alongside denis markell in 1989.

*a revival that would be staged only three years later at the civic light opera featuring bebe neuwirth as velma and juliet prowse as roxie, with direction by rob marshall and choreography by ann reinking

and if anyone recalls, bebe did a similar off-broadway revue of "upstairs at o'neals" a couple of years prior in 1982, which also featured douglas bernstein alongside richard ryder, mary d'arcy, sarah weeks and carole schwied.

pictured below.

(the cast of "upstairs at o'neals," photographed by martha swope.)

both actresses would come to win their tony awards for best leading actress in a musical only a year apart in 1996 and 1997, with donna murphy as english teacher anna leonowens in the revival of "the king and i," and bebe neuwirth in the revival of "chicago" where she played infamous murderess velma kelly.

(pictured below with their respective tony awards. photographed by ron gallela (left) and richard corkery (right.)

anyways–now that it is 2024–if any casting directors see this, take notes. i'm not picky.

#bebe neuwirth #donna murphy #i just took this dive down a rabbit hole as an excuse to make a lil' post on the both of them #because whilst i am happy both of them are booked and busy-i have a vision in mind. #and as i said-i am not picky.