Simon Says: Watch Me Take on the World of Ballet in “Etoile”

I’ve always been intrigued bySimon Callow. There seems to be nothing he can’t do. In 1979 he set the theatreworld abuzz with his portrayal of cocky young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in PeterShaffer’s Amadeus. (By the time the play became an Oscar-winning film,he had aged out of the part and taken a lesser role.) He later played memorablemostly-comic roles in classic British costume dramas like A Room with a View(as the jovial Reverend Beebe), Howards End, and Shakespeare inLove. I particularly relish his unforgettable performance in FourWeddings and a Funeral, one that prompts the film’s most touching moment.Clearly a man who is intellectually restless, Callow has tried directing too,and has published biographies of such major artistic figures as Oscar Wilde,Charles Laughton, Richard Wagner, and Orson Welles. I read the first volume ofhis Welles book, The Road to Xanadu¸ and found it a fascinating explorationof Welles as an actor, seen through the eyes of a kindred spirit.

 But it was Callow’s first bookBeing an Actor (originally 1984, but recently updated), that had a smallimpact on my own life. When I was still in my Roger Corman years, this in-depthprimer on the theatrical arts was enthusiastically recommended to me by theactor David Birney. Having read it, I couldn’t wait to meet Callow, and theopportunity presented itself when he came to L.A. to direct an obscure drama atthe Los Angeles Theatre Center. He was happy to be interviewed by me, partlybecause he hoped for an introduction to Roger Corman. (Yes, he had a filmproject in mind, but ultimately Roger didn’t cotton to it.) In any case, that’show I ended up having a sumptuous breakfast with Simon in the dining roomof  L.A.’s venerable Biltmore Hotel. Tomy not very great surprise, this was a man who truly enjoyed good food. I thinkit’s fair to say he has a real appetite for life in all its forms.

 I’ve been thinking of Simonof late because I just finished watching Etoile, the Amazon Primemini-series in which he has a central role. It was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband Daniel Palladino,who both write and direct. As the folks responsible for Gilmore Girls andmore recently The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, both know how to put together aseries that blends comedy and human drama. Set in the ballet world, Etoile positsthat major dance companies in Paris and New York City trade prime talents for aseason, in order to goose ticket sales. Naturally there’s a lot of emotioninvolved, as well as some spectacular dancing. Top-billed Luke Kirby struts andfrets as the artistic director of the New York Metropolitan Ballet. (He wasLenny Bruce in Mrs. Maisel.) Charlotte Gainsbourg is appealing as hisbeleaguered French counterpart. There are lots of storylines involving variousdancers (as well as one extremely petulant but talented choreographer), but themost unforgettable is Lou de Laâge as Cheyenne Toussant, a Parisian “étoile”(prima ballerina) whose ego is as large as her talent, and whose sexualappetites are not easily satisfied. She’s a wonderful whirlwind of a character,one who seems perennially angry, though there are hints of her softerside. 

  Among all these talents lurks Simon Callow as CrispinShamblee, a British oil baron who donates ostentatiously to both balletcompanies, and expects their fealty in return. He is always popping up at thewrong moment, thoroughly enjoying his ability to make trouble for one and all.A man of many appetites indeed.