It was really interesting, and it does make me wonder about the relationship between Paul Anthony Stewart and Joie Lenz. It reminds me a little of an interview I saw once of Alessandra Ferri, principal with American Ballet Theatre. The interviewer was asking her about her relationship with Julio Bocca with whom she has developed a partnership over the years, some would say one of the few true partnerships in the ballet world today. She was saying, it was very special, rather like meeting the love of your life. There was such a connection that they hardly even rehearsed.

I have no idea how much Stewart and Lenz rehearse, whether they stitch together every detail ad nauseum, but my rather longwinded point, is that the relationship feels effortless. The words "magic" and "chemistry" seem totally inadequate to describe the partnership, but it's the best I can do. And a detail as small as a momentary stroke of the neck is, in the scheme of the whole history, it adds a weight to the scene as a whole.

I think others have commented on the Shakespearean dimension of Manny. It seems like we've gone through our Othello and Hamlet period, dare I hope that we're about to enter one of the comedies, perhaps Much Ado About Nothing or Twelfth Night. Although I realize Danny in jail would be nothing to laugh about, there must be humorous dimensions in there somewhere. It would be good to see Danny and Michelle laugh a little. Actually, ever since the scene where Michelle was trying to flirt with Danny, I've longed to see them play a game of pool, something normal.

elle