Mary Cargill

"Sylvia"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 10, 2026 matinee and evening and July 11, 2026 matinee and evening

The high-class circus of “Don Quixote” week was followed by the stylish exaltation of Ashton’s “Sylvia”; both ballets are joyful explosions of dancing with large casts which allow ABT to show off its many dancers, but “Sylvia”, with its cohesive and coherent style is first-class art as well as first-class entertainment.  The

"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 3, 2026

It was only July 3rd, but the audience seemed primed for an evening of fireworks when Jake Roxander made his highly anticipated complete “Don Quixote” debut—he had danced Act III in the all-hands-on-deck emergency “Don Quixote” the previous Wednesday.  The applause began during the overture (so great to hear Minkus getting his due for the wonderfully danceable score) and continued all

"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 1, 2026, matinee

Cy Doherty first performed the Don in 2022 as an apprentice, creating a remarkably vivid picture, both comic and tragic, of a befuddled but sincere visionary searching for an ideal.  He was equally vivid in this performance, though the new production has turned the iconic dreamer into a silly old man who just wants a young wife.  The traditional ballet is about the

"Don Quixote"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 29, 2026

ABT’s newish version of “Don Quixote”, overseen by Director Susan Jaffe and regisseur Susan Jones, uses the lovely 1978 sets by Santo Loquasto and most of the costumes, though the corps’ charming character shoes have been replaced by point shoes which meant that the corps’ Spanish flair in Act III lost the dynamic contrast with the more formal point work. Though the men have kept

"Onegin"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 27, 2026, evening

ABT’s final performance this season of John Cranko’s “Onegin” , based on the poem by Alexander Pushkin, was a feast of fine dancing, with Christine Shevchenko as Tatiana, Zimmi Cocker as her sister Olga, Jake Roxander as Lensky, and Jarod Curley debuting as the tortured Onegin.  This was a bitter-sweet debut, since the program was originally scheduled as Cory Stearns’ farewell before an