"Breathtaking beauty and ebullient wit… [An Italian Straw Hat] sparkles as much from its humanity as from Santo Loquasto's glorious design and Kudelka's breathtaking choreography." The Toronto Sun, 2005
Created for The National Ballet of Canada, An Italian Straw Hat premiered on May 1, 2005 to critical acclaim. Based on the 19th century play of the same title by Eugene Labiche and Marc Michel, An Italian Straw Hat features original choreography by Mr. Kudelka. Tony Award winning designer, Santo Loquasto, re-creates Belle Epoque Paris with his set and costume design. The original score by American composer Michael Torke was released on CD in 2005, featuring The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. The lighting design is by Kevin Lamotte and the libretto written by Timothy Luginbuhl.
An Italian Straw Hat revolves around the disappearance of the hat of the title, an event that disrupts a planned wedding and leads the wedding party on a merry and uproarious search through the boulevards and salons of Paris. The narrative provides ample opportunity for Mr. Kudelka's virtuosic choreographic impulses, from inventive crowd scenes to lyrical duets, that cast a bemused eye on the benign silliness of social attitudes.
The Winter Season continues with a mixed programme featuring Rooster & Soldiers' Mass & 24 Preludes by Chopin, on stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts March 8 - 16, 2008. -- www.national.ballet.ca
