''The Sun Also Rises'' or ''Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises'' is a 2013 ballet adaptation of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

's 1926 novel ''

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is a 1926 novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, his first, that portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the b ...

'' that was premiered by

The Washington Ballet The Washington Ballet (TWB) is an ensemble of professional ballet dancers based in Washington DC. It was founded in 1976 by Mary Day, and has been under the artistic directorship of Julie Kent since 2016. Septime Webre was artistic director fo ...

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

under Artistic Director

Septime Webre The Washington Ballet (TWB) is an ensemble of professional ballet dancers based in Washington DC. It was founded in 1976 by Mary Day, and has been under the artistic directorship of Julie Kent since 2016. Septime Webre was artistic director for ...

, whose parents had known Hemingway. It is the first version of this work

en pointe Pointe technique ( ) is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns ''pointe work'', in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be ''en pointe'' () wh ...

. It premiered from May 8 – 12, 2013. Webre had previously adapted ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

'' and '' Alice in Wonderland'' to ballet. According to Emily Cary of ''

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'', like the source, the plot is about "a group of American and British expatriates who meet in Paris and travel to Pamplona, Spain, to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights." Clark notes that the production was inspired by one of Webre's friends who taught American literature at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

who suggested an adaptation.

Cast and crew

The original cast featured Jared Nelson, Sona Kharatian, Brooklyn Mack and Jonathan Jordan in the roles of Jake Barnes, Lady Brett Ashley, Pedro Romero, and Bill Gorton, respectively. After reading the book, Webre wrote the libretto along with librettist Karen Zacarias and hired Billy Novick to write the music. Hugh Landwehr of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

was the set designer.

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Department of Theatre professor Helen Huang was the costume designer. Clifton Taylor was the lighting designer ;Original cast :Jared Nelson as Jake Barnes, an American journalist :Sona Kharatian as Lady Brett Ashley, an Englishwoman :Corey Landolt as Robert Cohn, Princeton educated writer and former boxer :Emily Ellis as Frances, Cohn’s girlfriend :Maki Onuki as Georgette, a French prostitute :Luis R. Torres as Count Mippipopolous, a Greek Aristocrat :Jonathan Jordan as Bill Gorton, Jake's war buddy :Melih Mertel as Mike Campbell, Brett's Scottish fiancé : Brooklyn Mack as Pedro Romero, the Celebrated Bullfighter

Critical review

Alistair Macaulay of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' noted that he had cynical expectations, but in the end felt that "Although I think this dance drama eventually doesn’t quite succeed, what’s impressive is how near it comes to doing so." Sarah Kaufman of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' described the performance as "surprisingly restrained" and "lively and entertaining, if flawed".

Notes

External links

''The Sun Also Rises''
at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun Also Rises, The 2013 ballet premieres Works based on American novels Ballets by American people Ballets set in the 1920s Ernest Hemingway Ballets set in Paris Ballets set in Spain Ballets based on novels