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Review by Susan Granger
1½ stars out of 4
Think "Fame" meets "The Turning Point" or "The Red Shoes" and
you have the concept of this backstage story set at Lincoln Center's
prestigious and, at times, pretentious American Ballet
Theater. Directed by Nicholas Hytner ("The Madness of King George,"
"The Crucible"), it's filled with enthusiasm and good intentions,
offering a glimpse into the demanding world of ballet, complete with
bruises and bandages. Amanda Schull stars as a beautiful, blue-eyed
blond with "bad feet" who temporarily pirouettes into the affections
of Ethan Stiefel, a principal dancer with the ABT who could be the
next Mikhail Barishnikov. They're surrounded by stereotypical "A
Chorus Line"-types - the bulimic prodigy (Susan May Pratt) with a
pushy mother (Debra Monk), the edgy rebel (Zoe Saldana) with a bad
attitude, the best-friend (Shakiem Evans), the romantic (Sascha
Radetsky), the Russian (ice-skating champion Ilia Kulik) and faculty
members (Peter Gallagher, Donna Murphy). It's all very familiar: there
are six spots in the company to be filled - who will get them? And the
screenplay by Carol Heikkinen ("The Thing Called Love," "Empire
Records") is corny, filled to the brim with cliches. It's hard not to
chuckle at: "I'm not dancing for them anymore - I'm dancing for me."
Make no mistake: this no "Dirty Dancing" or "Flashdance." Yet there's
aerobic jazz and salsa, as well as the classic tradition of
Tchiakovsky and Prokofiev. To me, the highlights were Stiefel's
performing "Stars and Stripes," choreographed by George Balanchine,
and the hip finale, set to the rock music of Michael
Jackson. Basically, this is TV fare that will probably be far more
satisfying on video. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Center
Stage" is a graceful 4. But it's the dancing that scores, not the
drama.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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