Riot at the Rite
9.0 / 10
90 minutes
2005-10-18
English
GB
Actors :
Adam Garcia, Alex Jennings, Emma Pierson, Griff Rhys Jones, Jonathan Aris, Christian McKay, Richard Hope, Philip Herbert, André Schneider, Naomi Wattis, Peter Copley, Sara Dee, Steve Pemberton, Philip Battley, Rachael Stirling
Description
In the spring of 1913, Parisian businessman Gabriel Astruc opens a new theater on the Champs Elysées. The first performance is the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring', danced by the Ballet Russes. The rehearsal process is extremely fraught: the orchestra dislike Stravinsky's harsh, atonal music; the dancers dislike the 'ugly' choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky. The volatile, bisexual Nijinsky is in a strained relationship with the much older Sergei Diaghilev, the Ballet Russes' charismatic but manipulative impresario. Public expectation is extremely high after Nijinsky's success in 'L'apres-midi d'un faune'. Finally, 'The Rite of Spring' premieres to a gossip-loving, febrile, fashion-conscious Parisian audience sharply divided as to its merits.