Spectators lost their sense of morality in the auditorium

Despite the warnings, shows where the cell phone doesn’t ring are rare.

And it’s not just Montreal where rowdy viewers neglect to turn off their phones. Conductor Nzet Seguin’s astonishing gesture in New York — he ordered the orchestra to stop playing when he heard a second phone ring — certainly had its toll, but there’s still a lot of education to be done.

I’m not sure if it was up to the producer of a show or the management of the venue to ensure that those who had paid for their ticket could attend a show without being disturbed by all manner of extraneous noises and, even worse, by the insolent behavior of some of the spectators.

Last Saturday I went to see Cinderella, the new show by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in the Place des Arts. Two hours of pure pleasure. First to the eye, because the costumes, created by Marie-Chantal Vaillancourt, are mesmerizing and the simple ensembles are evocative. In terms of music, production is not to be outdone. The musicians of the Orchester des Grands Ballets endow Prokofiev’s music with an enviable fate.

funny steps

You have to be very picky if you have anything to say about this ballet. It seemed flawless to me. Australian Jayne Smeuldens’ choreography is without extravagance, but it translates well the powerful moments of the old tale of the Brothers Grimm. I really liked that Cinderella’s evil sister-in-law was more funny than mischievous. The little girl we brought with us to the fair burst out laughing several times at her antics.

I know good things shouldn’t be overstated, but I would have liked to have ridden a little more in Cinderella’s stunning silver carriage. A true marvel, this sparkling ancestor of our mountain bikes!

Lyudmila’s legacy

During the performance, I couldn’t help but think of my old friend, Ludmilla Chiriaeff, to whom we owe the Grands Ballets Canadiens. Ludmila, who had been my neighbor for a few years on Harvard Street at Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, often told me of her desire to provide Quebec with a permanent, authentic ballet company, which would give young people a taste for dancing. And for audiences wanting to know about classical ballet, which we have just discovered thanks to Channel 2.

It now remains for some spectators to show a little courtesy when attending the ballet. Saturday, I have rarely seen such a wild crowd. Dozens arrived late. Far from staying until intermission, those latecomers joined their seats without any embarrassment. The couples returned from the break when the show resumed, and to make matters worse, some left before the curtain fell. Be sure to get out of the parking lot more quickly.

Behind us, a couple munched on popcorn as if they were watching a Turnout in Guzzo. The highlight of the performance, a few seats from where we sat, a young mother kept moving between the room and the foyer because of her baby, not more than three or four months old, being born. It can’t fall off. sleeping. I was going to turn him into a pumpkin!

The presentation really had to be flawless so that such ill-mannered spectators would not spoil our pleasure.