Petr Malásek: Phantom of the Opera

“The young ballet soloist, a fresh graduate from Dance Conservatoire Prague, Zuzana Hvízdalová as Christine Daaé and Richard Hlinka, a new member of State Opera Prague ballet troupe as the Phantom had an excellent grip on the Phantom of the Opera premiere despite some shyness. In particular, the performance of Zuzana Hvízdalová was admirable despite her lack of acting experience. Along with these two the accomplished soloist Anna Ščekaleva excelled in the comically hyperbolic role of Charlotta. In the second cast, Iva Povrazníková was more poetic and perhaps also more type-specific in the same role. Ondřej Novotný embodied Vicomte Raoul de Chagny with a certain noblesse ‘in the French style’.”

(Marcela Benoniová, Právo)

“Vaculík lightens the story with a pinch of exaggeration and humour. He succeeded in capturing the nature of the characters by way of dance, underlined with striking musical motives. He understands how to connect the movements which smoothly follow one after another, and are original in their structure. (…) Anna Ščekaleva obviously enjoyed dancing the role of Charlotta and rendered its comic side in a good proportion and with a good command of a solid technique. Zuzana Hvízdalová is a major talent beyond doubt – her Christine is subtle in appearance yet solid in her intention. Her rendering of the role is self-assured, graceful, and radiates pure enjoyment. Richard Hlinka manages the demanding part of the Phantom without any hesitation and Ondřej Novotný performs the role of Raoul de Chagny with the same confidence. Apart from the pleasant music, the Phantom of the Opera also has a good stage design and costumes that underpin the period atmosphere. The Phantom of the Opera is a conceptually coherent production and shows the State Opera Prague ballet in very good form.”

(Lucie Dercsényiová, Lidové noviny)