Between Splendor and Substance: Navigating the Depths of Possokhov’s Anna Karenina Ballet

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina pirouetted and pliéd gracefully across the stage at Zellerbach Auditorium this Saturday, in a ballet adaptation choreographed by Yuri Posshokhov. The talented dancers of the Joffrey Ballet brought this Tolstoy classic to life in a performance as technically impressive as it was visually enrapturing. Accompanied live by the Berkeley Symphony and projection designs by Finn Ross, this rendition of Anna Karenina coalesced into one sensory explosion–musically rich, choreographically complex, and with a prowess for costume design and theatrical technology that propelled the art of ballet into something otherworldly. 

Cal Performances presents The Joffrey Ballet in the Bay Area premiere of Anna Karenina, accompanied by the Berkeley Symphony, March 15-17, 2024, at Zellerbach Hall. (credit: Cheryl Mann)

Conductor Scot Speck commanded the expert arrangements performed by the Berkeley Symphony, setting the stage for the opening scene at a train station in St. Petersburg. From behind the thin veil of a projector screen displaying images of a dark, cold platform, a rail worker appears. The dancer wields a glowing yellow lantern, which sways apprehensively above his head as he stalks around the station, unseen by lingering travelers. Lights flicker and flash, and the haunting sound of an approaching train pierces the auditorium. Everything jolts to a halt as the rail worker stumbles onto the tracks and is crushed to death under the unfaltering wheels of the train. Witnessing this terrible accident are two strangers–the strikingly beautiful Anna Karenina and the charming young Count Alexey Vronsky. Soaring above the orchestral score, soprano Lindsay Metzger’s operatic voice adds palpable drama and tension to the traumatic death. Her voice oscillates in synchrony with the coalescing and intertwining of the two soon-to-be lovers Anna and Vronsky, whose initial connection is forged amidst this shared tragedy. Their understanding of each other begins atop a backdrop of sorrow, translated effortlessly by the devastating choreography of the scene.  

The production follows Anna to the debutante ball of Princess Katerina, also known endearingly as Kitty. Initially pursued by Konstantin Levin, Kitty’s interest shifts dramatically towards Count Vronsky. As portrayed by Posshokhov, Kitty and Levin engage in a sweet duet which is nevertheless overshadowed by her infatuation with Vronsky, and inevitably leads to her rejection of Levin’s marriage proposal. Vronsky, enamored with Anna, favors her over Kitty—despite Anna’s standing marriage with Aleksei Karenin.

Kitty’s feelings of dejection are compounded by her guilt over her rash rejection of Levin for Vronsky, who remains enamored with Anna. The contrast between Anna and Vronsky’s dangerous affair and the affirming love that eventually develops between Kitty and Levin is beautifully undergirded by Demutsky’s composition. As the show progresses, the narrative focuses intently on Anna and Vronsky’s developing relationship. Despite her attempts to quell her desire for Vronsky, she eventually succumbs and the affair begins. Denoted by an overtly passionate duet between the two, accompanied by Demutsky’s arrangements, its advent engendered unparalleled musical intensity that mirrored the illicit love coming into the light.

Anna’s attempts to hide her affair with Vronsky quickly unravel as tensions reach a breaking point. Already rumored to have been seen with Vronsky, Anna, accompanied by her husband, attends a steeplechase featuring her young lover. As she struggles to contain her emotions, Anna’s distress becomes apparent to her husband. When Vronsky is thrown from his horse, Anna’s hesitation vanishes, and she rushes to his side. Helpless and racked with guilt, Anna confesses her affair to her husband, signifying a point of no return. She falls prey once and for all to the desire that drives her to Vronsky.   

Cal Performances presents The Joffrey Ballet in the Bay Area premiere of Anna Karenina, accompanied by the Berkeley Symphony, March 15-17, 2024, at Zellerbach Hall. (credit: Cheryl Mann)

In the ballet’s final act, Anna is driven to suicide. Losing all semblance of the rich life she once had and seeing no hope of getting it back after being driven away from Vronsky by the shallowness of their once-deep connection, she devolves into madness. In an outstanding performance by Victoria Jaiani paired with devilish choreographic direction, her abject, almost inhuman state resounded through an entranced auditorium. Contorting her body as if controlled by a puppet master, she spirals further and further away from the empowered protagonist she has been. Anna floats, disconcerted and unkempt, across the same train tracks where she and Vronsky first met. Projected onto the screen, her shadow grows slowly as the orchestra crescendos and a train’s light grows closer. Wind blows violently through her hair, and with a staggering silence, she is gone. 

The ballet’s portrayal of Anna’s journey, while visually striking, falls short in capturing the critical nuances of the social and political frameworks foundational to her story. This oversight manifests in a superficial treatment of the societal pressures and norms that critically shape the narrative’s trajectory. Possokhov’s adaptation only lightly touches upon the immense influence these frameworks exert on Anna’s life, leading to a somewhat flattened portrayal of her despair.

Her profound distress stems not merely from personal turmoil but is deeply intertwined with the rigid expectations and merciless judgment of high society. After leaving her husband and child for an affair with Vronsky, Anna faces a harsh and isolating rejection from the society that once embraced her. This exclusion starkly contrasts with Vronsky’s experience; despite being involved in the same scandal, he navigates social circles with ease, untouched by the stigma that so heavily weighs on Anna. This double standard underscores the oppressive gender norms and social hypocrisy of the time, factors that are crucial to understanding the depth of Anna’s despair. The ballet’s failure to delve deeply into these dynamics simplifies a complex interplay of personal and societal conflict, leaving much to be desired in the rich exploration of Anna’s situation and the broader thematic underpinnings of the story.

By not fully integrating the importance of the social and political frameworks, the adaptation misses an opportunity to highlight the intricate layers of oppression and expectation that define the characters’ lives and decisions. This oversight not only diminishes the narrative’s complexity but also lessens the impact of Anna’s eventual downfall, rendering it a consequence of individual choices rather than a tragic outcome of societal constraints and personal defiance.

While Possokhov’s Anna Karenina presents an impressive spectacle of emotion and visual splendor, its outer layers of extravagance–  its theatrics, costumes, and evocative projection designs–  seem to serve as a diversion from its limited exploration of the social and political tenets central to the classic novel. By diluting the original story, Possokhov’s Anna Karenina offers an intense yet ultimately less profound emotional experience than the original, withholding the audience a fuller, more nuanced understanding of the characters and their circumstances. Nevertheless, Possokhov’s adaptation presents a captivating and beautifully executed performance that is sure to enchant audiences. 

Written by: Dorothy Eck & Lucy Gleeson

Photos: Cheryl Mann