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Houston Ballet's Miller Theater Performance of Coppelia

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Houston Ballet gives free performances of Copp?lia at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park 8:00 p.m. Friday May 11, Saturday May 12, & Sunday May 13, 2001 sponsored by AZURIX and ENRON Considered the great comedy of classical ballet, Copp?lia tells the story of a doll so enchantingly lifelike that she mesmerizes an entire village, captures the heart of a young swain named Franz and inspires the eccentric toymaker Dr. Copp?lius to attempt to transform her into a living, breathing human being. AZURIX and ENRON are Corporate Sponsors for Houston Ballet's Miller Theatre performances, helping to present these free performances of Copp?lia to the people of Houston. Houston Ballet has a limited number of tickets for the seated area each night for employees of AZURIX and ENRON. These tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis by calling William at 713-535-3235 no later than 5 PM today . (Please be aware that all unoccupied seats are released at 10 minutes before curtain.) Other, free, general public tickets for the seated area (max 4 per person) are available at the Miller Theatre 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on the day of performance; for more information call 713-284-8351 for the Miller Theatre ticket information line. Tickets are not required for the lawn area. About Coppelia Copp?lia was first performed on May 25, 1870 at the Th?atre Imp?rial de L'Op?ra, featuring choreography by Arthur Saint-L?on and music by L?o Delibes. The work maintains a special place in the history of dance, serving as a kind of bridge from the glory of the French Romantic ballet in the early nineteenth century to the masterpieces of the Russian Imperial Theater at the turn of the century. Writing in The International Dictionary of Ballet, critic Karen Dacko analyzes the unique characteristics of the piece as follows: "Copp?lia owes its longevity to its inspired, very danceable score. But the ballet is also remarkable for its perennial appeal and for its historical significance as Romanticism's grand finale and classical ballet's prologue." Copp?lia first entered Houston Ballet' repertoire in October 1974, in a staging by Frederic Franklin (who also performed the role of Dr. Copp?lius), and featuring scenery by Peter Farmer. In November 1979, former Royal Ballet ballerina Anne Heaton re-staged the work for the company. When Houston Ballet premiered its new production of the work in March 1992 featuring breathtaking d?cor by Desmond Heeley, Carl Cunningham of The Houston Post wrote, "It would be hard to imagine anything to cap the joyous, gentle, and glorious looking new production of Copp?lia the splendidly prepared company of dancers and musicians put forth Thursday evening on Wortham Center's Brown Theater stage." (The Houston Post, March 21, 1992) Heeley's designs for Copp?lia never fail to enchant, most notably in the second-act depiction of Dr. Copp?lius's workshop. The sampling of dolls on display pay homage to the era when automatons, or mechanical toys, were the rage in Europe -- and to Heeley's inexhaustible creativity. Among the eye-popping toys featured in the workshop are a huge astrologer with a pointed hat and a robe covered in shooting stars and moons; a strongman with a handlebar mustache and barbells; Puss n Boots; an acrobat hanging from a trapeze holding the man in the moon; and a small ballerina dancing on the back of a goat. In the first act, the vibrant reds, golds, and oranges of the costumes worn by the peasants in the village conjure up a wonderfully picturesque vision of nineteenth century Bavaria.