"Swan Lake" can be funny. No, seriously.
Disclaimer: I love this ballet and so does my mom.
Some background info: despite being the most popular ballet in the world, "Swan Lake" doesn't have a real plot. An evil sorcerer, for reason that remains unknown, turns a whole kingdom of maidens (and maidens only) into swans. They can be rescued only if a handsome prince falls in love with their queen Odette, aka the White Swan. Such prince indeed appears, but the sorcerer does not let his guard down, and introduces the prince his daughter Odile, aka the Black Swan, who is Odette's double. The prince proclaims his love to Odile, but suddenly sees a white swan at the window, and realizes that he was tricked. He runs to the lake where he first met Odette, then confronts the sorcerer and: either he and Odette die or the prince defeats the sorcerer and they live happily ever after. Initially, the ballet also included an evil owl stepmother (the sorcerer is a vulture), Odette and Odile were two different ballerinas and ending #1 was planned. Today, ending #2 is more common.
Maybe because of such loose plotline, the ballet numbers don't have a constant order. Sometimes the foreign guests appear as the prince's brides' antourage and sometime as the antourage of the Black Swan. Many numbers are freely rotated between all the four acts.
The above things might be funny, but this is not why I'm writing this. A month ago, my mother and I are watching the movie version of the ballet from 1960s.
Act 3: Black Swan appears.
Me: Are these feathers on her head supposed to be like devil's horns?
Mom: Maybe.
Me: They're tottaly meant to symbolize the devil.
Act 3: the plot is revealed. The prince dances around the stage in despair/incertainity.
Me: You idiot! Why are you dancing around, go save Odette!
Act 4: the prince arrives to the lake.
Me: No, you can't go straight to Odette, you have to circle the stage first, don't you?!
Act 4: the prince and Odette confront the sorcerer.
Me: The prince should totally rip his wing off.
The prince rips the sorcerer's wing off.
Me: Mom, OMG, he actually ripped his wing off!
The sorcerer falls on the stage and flaps his remaining wing.
A couple of days later:
Me: You know mom, I totally prefer the Black Swan.
Mom: Me too. What's up with us liking the devious characters?
Me: *after some thought* That's because the Black Swan is powerful. The White Swan is a total wimp. She just waits to be rescued. And that prince?! He just dances around. What's up with the good characters being so naive and weak? *after some more thought* And I mean, these swans, there's like, thirty of them and there's only one sorcerer. Why weren't they rebelling against the sorcerer?!
Mom: But he's that powerful scary thing. And if they kill him they'll stay swans forever.
Today, after seeing yet another version of the ballet in which, surprisingly, the prince drowns in the lake and the swans stay charmed.
Me: You know, Nureyev did a very good drowning scene. It looked really natural. I especially liked the part in which he was already dead and the waves were beating his body against a tree trunk.
Mom: No, he was still alive then, he was trying to grab on that tree, but there was a very strong current he couldn't overcome.
After some time:
Mom: You know, I understood what this version of the ballet was about. All the previous versions were focused on Odille, how she was charmed, and how she wanted to be rescued. But in this version, the prince is the center of the tale, how he felt in love, how he was deceived and how he died because he was betrayed.
Me: Yeah...or you could say that Nureyev just staged the production for himself. And you know, I think Odetta was totally using the prince to free her from the sorcerer. Also, in the version that we have on the VCR she was the one confronting the sorcerer. I mean, now that she is human again she can totally go and find herself a less wimpier man.
Mom: Yep, cherchez le prince.
Me: And it was so funny that before he drowns the sorcerer just takes Odette over his shoulder and carries her away like some caveman.
Mom: Yep, the prince betrayed her, therefore he was defeated.
Me: So the prince died and the swans....?
Mom: They will be swans for the rest of their lives.
Me: So....if they will remain swans for the rest of their lives no matter what, why not killing the sorcerer?
Mom: Why don't you tell them about that?
Some background info: despite being the most popular ballet in the world, "Swan Lake" doesn't have a real plot. An evil sorcerer, for reason that remains unknown, turns a whole kingdom of maidens (and maidens only) into swans. They can be rescued only if a handsome prince falls in love with their queen Odette, aka the White Swan. Such prince indeed appears, but the sorcerer does not let his guard down, and introduces the prince his daughter Odile, aka the Black Swan, who is Odette's double. The prince proclaims his love to Odile, but suddenly sees a white swan at the window, and realizes that he was tricked. He runs to the lake where he first met Odette, then confronts the sorcerer and: either he and Odette die or the prince defeats the sorcerer and they live happily ever after. Initially, the ballet also included an evil owl stepmother (the sorcerer is a vulture), Odette and Odile were two different ballerinas and ending #1 was planned. Today, ending #2 is more common.
Maybe because of such loose plotline, the ballet numbers don't have a constant order. Sometimes the foreign guests appear as the prince's brides' antourage and sometime as the antourage of the Black Swan. Many numbers are freely rotated between all the four acts.
The above things might be funny, but this is not why I'm writing this. A month ago, my mother and I are watching the movie version of the ballet from 1960s.
Act 3: Black Swan appears.
Me: Are these feathers on her head supposed to be like devil's horns?
Mom: Maybe.
Me: They're tottaly meant to symbolize the devil.
Act 3: the plot is revealed. The prince dances around the stage in despair/incertainity.
Me: You idiot! Why are you dancing around, go save Odette!
Act 4: the prince arrives to the lake.
Me: No, you can't go straight to Odette, you have to circle the stage first, don't you?!
Act 4: the prince and Odette confront the sorcerer.
Me: The prince should totally rip his wing off.
The prince rips the sorcerer's wing off.
Me: Mom, OMG, he actually ripped his wing off!
The sorcerer falls on the stage and flaps his remaining wing.
A couple of days later:
Me: You know mom, I totally prefer the Black Swan.
Mom: Me too. What's up with us liking the devious characters?
Me: *after some thought* That's because the Black Swan is powerful. The White Swan is a total wimp. She just waits to be rescued. And that prince?! He just dances around. What's up with the good characters being so naive and weak? *after some more thought* And I mean, these swans, there's like, thirty of them and there's only one sorcerer. Why weren't they rebelling against the sorcerer?!
Mom: But he's that powerful scary thing. And if they kill him they'll stay swans forever.
Today, after seeing yet another version of the ballet in which, surprisingly, the prince drowns in the lake and the swans stay charmed.
Me: You know, Nureyev did a very good drowning scene. It looked really natural. I especially liked the part in which he was already dead and the waves were beating his body against a tree trunk.
Mom: No, he was still alive then, he was trying to grab on that tree, but there was a very strong current he couldn't overcome.
After some time:
Mom: You know, I understood what this version of the ballet was about. All the previous versions were focused on Odille, how she was charmed, and how she wanted to be rescued. But in this version, the prince is the center of the tale, how he felt in love, how he was deceived and how he died because he was betrayed.
Me: Yeah...or you could say that Nureyev just staged the production for himself. And you know, I think Odetta was totally using the prince to free her from the sorcerer. Also, in the version that we have on the VCR she was the one confronting the sorcerer. I mean, now that she is human again she can totally go and find herself a less wimpier man.
Mom: Yep, cherchez le prince.
Me: And it was so funny that before he drowns the sorcerer just takes Odette over his shoulder and carries her away like some caveman.
Mom: Yep, the prince betrayed her, therefore he was defeated.
Me: So the prince died and the swans....?
Mom: They will be swans for the rest of their lives.
Me: So....if they will remain swans for the rest of their lives no matter what, why not killing the sorcerer?
Mom: Why don't you tell them about that?