Giselle

There have been theatrical events over the course of history that have left their mark and set standards for generations to follow. Giselle is one of those plays which has raised the bar for theatrical productions to the level of almost perfection. It is a sensational play that should not be missed by anyone who is a theater fan. The perfection of the play has sold out Giselle tickets for over a century to packed houses everywhere it has been played till yet.
 
Giselle is a two act romantic ballet that transformed the way romantic plays were seen on stage with is debut at Paris in 1841.There were plays before Giselle that had laid the foundations of romantic ballet. Plays like La Sylphide, the first romantic ballet, were huge successes. La Sylphide debuted in 1932 and it incorporated the legendary ballerina Marie Taglioni's ghostly dancing routines. These dancing routines were based on people gliding through air on stage that just astounded the audience.
 
Giselle was the first play at the time of its debut in 1841 that took the dancing to another level. It was a romantic ballet just like La Sylphide but it incorporated onstage romantic dancing along with the Taglioni's ethereal dancing routines. Giselle was the brainchild of Theophile Gautier and its music was done by Adolphe Adam. Gautier was a very famous novelist, poet and most importantly a dance critic. He got the inspiration to create Giselle when he read some work by a romantic author from Germany named Heinrich Heine. Heine's story was about young female spirits roaming and dancing around during the course of the story. Together Gautier and Adam created ths masterpiece that has redefined theater, especially romantic ballet forever. It was the first play that had a musical theme to it that went along with the story.
 
Giselle is a story about a village girl who falls in love with a nobleman, Count Albrecht. Albrecht disguises himself as a peasant to make Giselle fall in love with him and she has no idea about his real identity. Albrecht is engaged to Bathilde who is a countess and when she comes to the village with her caravan Albrecht hides in the fear of being discovered. His identity comes out in the open when a forester Hilarion, who is also in love with Giselle, goes to into Albrecht's cottage to find out the truth about who he really is. Hilarion then tells everyone who Albrecht really is and when Giselle finds out, she kills herself with Albrecht's sword. She gets buried but her spirit is raised by another group of young girl's spirits called the Wilis to take her revenge from Albrecht by killing him for deceiving her. What happens next is what this astounding play is all about.
 
Giselle's debut at Paris in 1841 was followed by its first show in London, England the very next year. That was followed by its debut at St.Petersburg, Russia at the end of 1842 which was followed by its Italy debut in 1843. It finally got to the US in 1846 with its first show being at the Howard Atheneum in Boston. The performers playing the roles kept on varying from venue to venue but the splendor and the magnificence of the play wasn't compromised at all.
 
Giselle isn't an easy role to play because it requires picture perfect technique along with poise and amazing dancing skills. Giselle has to play two roles in the play, the first being an innocent village girl who dies because of deception and the second of a spirit who is not from this world but has to show that she still knows how to love. These are the traits that make Giselle one of the toughest yet one of the most wanted roles in theater history.
 
Giselle is an epic in every sense of the word. It is a play that has stood the test of time for over a century to remain one of the biggest hits of theatrical history to this day. It has astounded audiences worldwide with its sensational story-line, production and performances to cement its place at the top of romantic ballets. Every theater enthusiast, especially a fan of romance should get their hands on Giselle tickets to watch the latest show of this amazing play.