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reviews.

The Cultural Coupe, November 20--.
Blog by Rainier Coupe, senior correspondent.

The New Lover
The Lady of the Camellias by John Neumeier, Paris Opera Ballet

“Quite extraordinarily, I’m reporting on a mid-run performance, but equally extraordinarily indeed the story’s very heart was Friday performed by Valère Eustis’ substitute when Monsieur Eustis himself succumbed to injury in company class the week before. Claude Bérubé, a sujet who has previously danced leading roles in various contemporary pieces as well as a promising, if still unpolished Basilio in Don Quixote, took on the massive challenge of a last-minute Armand Duval with a technique that fully matched his explosive dramatic talent. In Bérubé’s still youthful shape we saw Armand believably portrayed as a sensitive boy lost in a storm of emotions, emotions that eventually led to his tragic loss, along with the lonely demise of his beloved. […]

Although Bérubé made a fine partner for seasoned veteran Josephine Segal’s Marguerite, it was on his own that he truly shone. So rarely the case, the tragedy that night unfolded less in the wuthering nature of their relationship, less in Marguerite’s decline and death than in the rawness of Bérubé’s solo at the end of act one which remained the absolute highlight of the evening. Here Armand’s character was painted sharply and unapologetically, the seeds of his later bitterness and despair sowed in breath-taking leaps unlike any the Palais Garnier has seen in a long, long time. By no means is Bérubé a tall danseur, but the broadness of his chest didn’t weigh him down in the slightest, adding rather to the fullness of his accomplishment. I predict that this is not the last we’ve seen of this great talent and if it is, one can only say: Shame!

Le Journal du Dimanche, May 20--.
Culture in Paris by Rainier Coupe, senior correspondent.

Dreaming Big
Orpheus by Gage Wray, Paris Opera Ballet

”[…] What saves Wray’s first full-length work from slipping into fragmentation is undoubtedly Claude Bérubé in the title role, a role envisioned and obviously created on his person. Orpheus, in Bérubé’s form, is not the lean mythological figure to which Balanchine introduced the western ballet tradition at the beginning of the last century through Apollo, but instead a softer and more dreamy character fully embodied in his heavier frame. Like the inspired singer as an archetype, Bérubé is a natural centre of attention and commands the stage not by force, but by beauty and a soft grace. […]

Particularly striking was the final scene when Orpheus turns around before Eurydice has entered the upper world, watching immobilised while Gaudin’s Eurydice bourrées backwards down the Kingdom of the Shades-inspired slopes, into the darkness enveloping the main stage. To the delicate melody of a single harp, Bérubé follows, a white light growing around him once he strikes his first pose off the ramp, an unwavering arabesque, hand gripping thin air desperately in the direction Gaudin has vanished. The final solo follows the simplistic scheme of Wray’s easily identifiable choreography, but carries greater impact as Bérubé’s very body is often the source of the rhythm, the thuds of his landings and his laboured breathing at times drowning out the harp and becoming his sole instrumental accompaniment.”

Le Journal du Dimanche, October 20--.
Culture in Paris by Rainier Coupe, senior correspondent.

Saved by the Masses
Swan Lake by Rudolph Nureyev, Paris Opera Ballet

”Nureyev’s Swan Lake is a staple in the POB’s repertory and, when danced authentically, the best example of a contemporary revision of the classics in the ballet world today. Unfortunately, the ballet’s essence wasn’t released as one might have hoped on opening night when the first cast took the stage in a row of debuts. […]

Whereas Gaudin’s Odile might grow out of her nerves and Eustis’ Siegfried regain stamina as the dancer behind eventually recovers fully from his injury earlier in the year, one can only hope that Bérubé won’t be so utterly miscast again as was the case last night in the role of Rothbart. This part, in Nureyev’s interpretation, is a true danseur noble endeavour that requires subtlety above all. In the pivotal pas de deux between Siegfried and Rothbart, before Siegfriend is sent out to hunt, Nureyev’s own homosexuality must lie latent enough in the choreographic execution not to offend, yet potent enough to create a cohesive, dramatic story. Bérubé, instead, aimed for a tasteless, predatory approach, perhaps a demonstration of his lacking maturity, every touch lingering a moment too long and his lined eyes always unreadable, rather than mysterious. […]”

Le Journal du Dimanche, March 20--.
Culture in Paris by Rainier Coupe, senior correspondent.

Paying for Classes
Études by Harald Lander, Paris Opera Ballet

”[…] Seeing how Bérubé’s first major part on the Palais Garnier stage was as one of the male soloists in Études and considering especially how remarkable a debut it had been, it was a disappointing performance he presented the audience with Saturday. Although his small stature and strong legs make him an ideal turner, his speed and precision came at the cost of a constantly constipated look that ruined the effortless feel of this tremendously impressive piece of choreography which suits the POB so well. […] It is a sad thing to witness the rapid decline of such a promising dancer who could otherwise easily have been the next great danseur of the French tradition, but who seems now to be stumbling in the face of the challenge rather than climbing towards its peak.”

Le Journal du Dimanche, May 20--.
Culture in Paris by Rainier Coupe, senior correspondent.

The Belle of the Ball
The Sleeping Beauty by Rudolph Nureyev, Paris Opera Ballet

”[…] As the Bluebird, Claude Bérubé lacked the all-important lightness and fluidity for the role. He doesn’t possess the tall, long-limbed build that would make the choreography’s flight-like nature believable and his landings were too heavy, distinctly audible even above the music. Unfortunately, the unforgiving costume and the powdered wig also made him look out of shape, if not as such overweight.”

Le Journal du Dimanche, September 20--.
Culture in Paris by Rainier Coupe, senior correspondent.

Transcendence in the Classic Sense
La Bayadère by Rudolph Nureyev, Paris Opera Ballet

”[…] The Golden Idol was, in the second cast, danced by Claude Bérubé who is usually quite famous for his powerful jumps and strong tempo, but who struggled with musicality and stamina in his final, circling leaps. This rising star is obviously losing momentum and showing undeniable signs of fatigue. What a shame.”