At the turn of the 20th century, the Italian actress Eleonora Duse was one of the most influential artists worldwide. John Neumeier takes episodes from the life of this great woman, who influenced such diverse personalities as Rainer Maria Rilke, Isadora Duncan, Arrigo Boito and Gabriele D’Annunzio, as inspirations for his “choreographic fantasies” (2015). Enthralled by the legendary professional charisma of Duse, her relentless quest for an ideal theatre and a number of love/hate relationships, Neumeier develops a subjective vision of her biography. Discarding a documentary approach, he invents situations and images to conjure the essence of this unique personality. As music he chose pieces by Benjamin Britten and Arvo Pärt
photo © Kiran West