The Ballet Master; Sir Peter Wright at 90, BBC 4

[Stanley Stewart]

Recorder set for The Ballet Master, Sir Peter Wright, BBC 4, 27 Dec, 19.00-20.00hrs.
The classical dancer, choreographer, TV director and teacher interviewed, discussing his 20 year leadership of the Royal Ballet's touring company. Should be less disputatious than yesterday's hilarious and delightful BBC 2 documentary, 17.20hrs, West Side Stories; The Making of a Classic, the production and rehearsal traumas for West Side Story. The combination of of Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents and a tenacious, young Stephen Sondheim contesting alterations to his lyrics, must have had the power of an earthquake on the brink of constant eruption. But the results! The London premiere at Her Majesty's Theatre, 1958, with the Broadway cast, set a marker which has never been equalled in musical theatre. First rate archive footage, too.

[Richard Tarleton]

Recorder set for The Ballet Master, Sir Peter Wright, BBC 4, 27 Dec, 19.00-20.00hrs.
The classical dancer, choreographer, TV director and teacher interviewed, discussing his 20 year leadership of the Royal Ballet's touring company.

He is to be seen in the Nutcracker doc I flagged on the other thread - selecting youngsters for the performance, supervising rehearsals and giving Ms Hayward a congratulatory hug after the first night.

[Stanley Stewart]

I enjoyed tonight's screening; my recommendation prompted by the accolade of a two - page spread interview with Sir Peter Wright in the Sunday Times Culture magazine, 18 Dec. The heading was 'Nureyev Liked to Show His Bum' and may have been edited in the programme due to his droll comments on the performer! I'll certainly add the documentary to the West Side Story DVD compilation.

[kernelbogey]

I enjoyed this. I hadn't realised how much of an innovator he had been. Nor did I know of his serious illness about twenty years ago. Good to see him in apparently fine fettle: must be all that dancing!

Thanks, Stanley, for the heads up!

[Richard Tarleton]

Excellent programme. I liked the "Nureyev late for first rehearsal" anecdote, straight out of Desmond Morris! And some priceless comments - the 4 cygnets!