ABT’s Crime and Punishment Review
October 30, 2024 | Metropolitan Opera House – New York, NY, USA
Confession: I haven’t read Crime and Punishment. In high school, our class took a dive into Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, sparing us from the 560 pages – depending on your edition – chronicling Rodion Raskolnikov’s dark journey of morality and consequence.
So, en route to the ballet, skimming summaries on SparkNotes in a subway with spotty service, I had one major question:
How on earth did Helen Pickett manage to compress this complex crime and psychological thriller into a 123-minute ballet?
ABT’s Crime and Punishment Review
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Crime and Punishment centers on Raskolnikov, who murders two women running a pawnshop and soon finds himself trapped by guilt and paranoia. While the plot may seem straightforward, Dostoevsky’s mastery lies in Raskolnikov’s psychological turmoil and unreliable narration.
I wondered how Pickett could convey this intricate narrative through movement on stage without the depth of Dostoevsky’s prose.
Although from the moment the curtain rose, I was in for an unexpected take on the classic Russian novel.
Soutra Gilmour’s set was deceptively simple, using three large wooden panels and a set of stairs, which seamlessly shifted with the dancers and created the oppressive, haunting presence of 1860s St. Petersburg. Film elements were projected to represent Raskolnikov’s inner horrors which was a surprising and modern choice to be incorporated into a ballet production.
Minimalist text appeared occasionally on the upstage cyc. The text wasn’t consistent, sometimes narrating, sometimes not, but I had a hunch it was invoking Dostoysevsky’s unreliable narrator with a brilliant minimalist twist.
Casting principal dancer Cassandra Trenary as Raskolnikov was an intriguing choice. She shares the role on alternate evenings with principal Herman Cornejo, male, and soloist Breanne Granlund, female, which creates a fresh, non-gendered take on a male-dominated role.
While gender is not a primary theme in Crime and Punishment, Trenary brought a raw, visceral quality to the stage, conveying Raskolnikov’s anguish and instability with striking nuance. This depth is not surprising given her strength, athleticism, and acting skills demonstrated in works like Tharp ballets and Trenary’s interpretation of Juliet. Yet, her portrayal of Raskolnikov felt both fresh and authentically modern.
Pickett’s choreographic language landed close enough to American Ballet Theatre’s classical strengths while still incorporating distinct, modern movements that felt naturally integrated.
Repetitive footwork interwoven with sharp arm gestures and phrases gave the corps de ballet the weight of 1860s St. Petersburg, brimming with rogue revolutionaries and political unease. The choreography was fast-paced and intense, whisking the heady plot along in flurried cascades of movement.
I observed that rather than using traditional pas de deux or solos to advance the plot, Pickett used these classical structures to signal a character’s psychological turmoil. Notedly, I saw this in play with a standout solo for Razumikhin (danced gloriously by Calvin Royal III) which flowed into a seamless pas de deux with Dunya (danced passionately by Christine Schevchenko).
I had a hunch the understated, classical movements provided a calm foil to Raskolnikov’s frantic, erratic phrases.
Raskolnikov did not appear to have a traditional grand-pas-de-deux-into-variation: another clever choice which, in addition to shattering classical ballet structures, emphasizes his loss of control, with life unfolding chaotically around him. This choreographic choice reflects Dostoevsky’s portrayal of Raskolnikov as a character trapped by his own psyche, mirroring the novel’s complex dynamic between internal struggle and external chaos.
Crime and Punishment was unchartered territory for American Ballet Theatre – not only for its contemporary approach and gender-neutral casting, but for taking on something as psychological as Dostoevsky’s novel.
The minimalist approach was clever and provided ample room for the dancers to explore their characters’ depths. However, a few elements such as the film, costuming, and a few transitions felt underdeveloped and could have blended more seamlessly with the multi-genre score by Isobel Waller-Bridge.
Nevertheless, I hope this partnership between American Ballet Theatre and Pickett continues to grow as this production revealed a rich potential for future collaborations.
Featured Photo of American Ballet Theatre’s Cassandra Trenary in Helen Picket’s Crime and Punishment. Photo by Kyle Froman.
