A Selective Guide to the Arts in Los Angeles

Cas Public / Photo by Damian Siqueiros

For the second of its 2019-2020 season Dance Series offerings, one of LA’s centers for all things French and French-related, the Theatre Raymond Kabbaz brings the Canadian contemporary dance company Cas Public back to the West Side. Presenting the local premiere of “Not Quite Midnight,” the six dancers follow choreographer Hélène Blackburn’s interpretation of the classic fable Cinderella. Much like the story’s heroine’s limitation, there is only one performance, this Friday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Set to an original score by composer Martin Tétreault that integrates Prokofiev’s 1945 masterpiece and Rossini’s operatic treatment, this 2018 creation “pays tribute to the qualities of heart and mind which give us the strength to overcome hardship, better ourselves and find fulfillment,” according to promotional materials. 

The company was here last year and showed us how strong, quick and talented its dancers are and how surprising, interesting and crafty Blackburn is. This new work is suitable for ages 9 and up, but don’t expect a grade school re-telling of the fairy tale. Instead, layering movement, music, film (by Galton Célestin and Camille Blackburn), lighting design and scenography (by Emilie B-Beaulieu and Hélène Blackburn), look for an immersion into a fantasy to which we all can relate.

—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA

LOCATION:    Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., LA 90064

TICKETS:        $15-$25 are available online at https://tinyurl.com/ofmdyxh

INFO:             

https://www.caspublic.org/english/shows/not-quite-midnight/

https://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com/upcoming-events-1/2019/6/24/not-quite-midnight-by-cas-public