Carnival of the Animals (ballet)
{{Short description|Ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox ballet
| name = Carnival of the Animals
| italic title = yes
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| choreographer = Christopher Wheeldon
| composer = Camille Saint-Saëns
| librettist = John Lithgow
| premiere = {{Start date|2003|05|14}}
| place = New York State Theater
| ballet_company = New York City Ballet
| characters =
| designer = Jon Morrell
Natasha Katz
| setting = American Museum of Natural History
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Carnival of the Animals is a ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to the Le Carnaval Des Animaux by Saint-Saëns, with narrations written by John Lithgow, costumes and sets designs by Jon Morrell and lighting designed by Natasha Katz. It premiered on May 14, 2003, at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet.{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/carnival-of-the-animals/|title=Carnival of the Animals|website=New York City ballet|accessdate=September 28, 2020}} The ballet is about a little boy who falls asleep at the American Museum of Natural History and dreams of people he knew as animals.
Synopsis
Oliver Pendleton Percy III, a little boy, falls asleep during a visit to the American Museum of Natural History. In his dream, people he knows are transformed to animals, such as his great aunt who is also a former ballerina as the swan, the librarian as a kangaroo who dreams of being a mermaid, his teacher as the lion, and his worried parents as cuckoos.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/movies/dance-review-with-everything-but-hippos-in-tutus.html|title=Dance Review; With Everything but Hippos in Tutus|newspaper=New York Times|last=Kisselgoff|first=Anna|date=May 16, 2003}} The narrator appears as the school nurse who transforms into a female elephant.
Production
Christopher Wheeldon and John Lithgow met in 2002 when the two worked on the musical Sweet Smell of Success as choreographer and actor respectively. After that, Wheeldon invited Lithgow, who is also an author, to write the narrations and perform in his ballet Carnival of the Animals. When the ballet premiered, Lithgow appeared as the narrator, school nurse and a female elephant. Jon Morrell designed the costumes and sets, and Natasha Katz designed the lighting.
The ballet is set in the American Museum of Natural History, which Wheeldon visits frequently due to its "amazing mix of the grotesque and the wonderful".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/arts/dance-ballet-when-it-s-beastly.html|title=Dance; Ballet When It's Beastly|newspaper=New York Times|last=Kourlas|first=Gia|date=May 18, 2003}} Wheeldon had said that since the start of the creative process, it was determined that the performers are "people first, then animals", and he "wanted to move away from the clichéd bunny ears and fluffy tails", therefore the animal characteristics are only subtly implied.
Lithgow returned for the New York City Ballet's appearance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in July 2003,{{cite news|url=https://www.saratogian.com/news/john-lithgows-elephant-steals-the-show-in-carnival-of-the-animals/article_513c017d-6c59-5793-8beb-fe201c8e7cc8.html|title=John Lithgow's elephant steals the show in 'Carnival of the Animals'|newspaper=The Saratogian|last=Banner|first=Mae G.|date=July 25, 2003}} and at the 2005 revival, for which he took time off from the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to do so.{{cite news|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/actor-john-lithgow-narrates-wheeldons-carnival-of-the-animals-at-city-ballet|title=Actor John Lithgow Narrates Wheeldon's Carnival of the Animals at City Ballet|website=Playbill|last=Jones|first=Kenneth|date=June 16, 2005}} He also appeared in the Houston Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet productions in 2007 and 2008 respectively.{{cite news|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/John-Lithgow-adds-Houston-Ballet-dancer-to-his-1796721.php|title=John Lithgow adds Houston Ballet dancer to his résumé|newspaper=The Houston Chronicle|last=Evans|first=Everette|date=April 23, 2007}}{{cite news|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/celebrities/20130508_John_Lithgow_performs_with_the_PA_Ballet_as___a_lady_elephant.html|title=John Lithgow performs with the PA Ballet as...a lady elephant|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|last=Eichel|first=Molly|date=May 8, 2013}} In the 2013 New York City Ballet revival, actor Jack Noseworthy served as the narrator.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/arts/dance/works-with-a-playful-streak-at-city-ballet.html|title=An Impish Faun, Swans, and a Lively Card Deck|newspaper=New York Times|last=Macaulay|first=Alastair|date=September 29, 2013}}
Children's book and CD
Lithgow's children's book and accompanying CD of the same name was released in 2004.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/books/review/sergei-prokofievs-peter-and-the-wolf-and-carnival-of-the.html|title=Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf' and 'Carnival of the Animals': The Sight of Music|newspaper=New York Times|last=Boggs Roberts|first=Rebecca|date=November 14, 2004}}
Original cast
The original cast includes Lithgow, appearing as the school nurse and an elephant, and School of American Ballet student P.J. Verhoest, who plays Oliver Pendleton Percy III. The rest of the cast are New York City Ballet dancers, with the principal roles originated by:{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2003/legit/reviews/carnival-of-the-animals-1200541692/|title=Carnival of the Animals|magazine=Variety|last=Isherwood|first=Charles|date=May 15, 2003}}
- Charles Askegard
- Kyra Nichols
- James Fayette
- Yvonne Borree
- Rachel Rutherford
- Pascale van Kipnis
- Arch Higgins
- Christine Redpath