Beatle's ballet buzz

By LEIGH WITCHEL

Last Updated: 12:41 PM, September 19, 2011

How do you pack the New York City Ballet's theater to the gills? Ask Paul McCartney to write a ballet about the sea.

The result -- a blockbuster -- is "Ocean's Kingdom," the former Beatle's 45-minute work. Choreographed by company director Peter Martins for more than 40 dancers, it debuts Thursday.

Martins and McCartney met at a gala last year and decided to work together shortly after.
"I am ecstatic that he agreed to write a score for us," Martins said when it was announced.
Sir Paul seemed equally enthralled. "I enjoy writing music -- full stop," he says. "So whether it's an orchestra or rock, I immerse myself in it."

McCartney also devised the plot, which reads like a traditional fairy tale, with a young prince and princess from opposing kingdoms of Earth and Ocean. Also in the mix: warring guardians and the princess' handmaiden, a woman of fishy character.

You can expect to see brilliantly colored costumes by McCartney's designer daughter, Stella. Her first project for the theater makes this an all-in-the-family affair. Just don't expect to hear a string of Beatles hits.
"What was interesting was writing music that meant something expressively rather than just writing a song," McCartney says. "You have fear, love, anger, sadness to play with -- I found that challenging, but great."

Bill Bernstein

Don't expect to hear "Yellow Submarine" in "Ocean's Kingdom," a 45-minute piece composed by Paul McCartney and choreographed by Peter Martins for the New York City Ballet.

McCartney released a short preview on his YouTube channel. The music reminds you of a film score -- tuneful and with atmosphere and plot woven into the melodies.

Then again, it's hardly his first foray into classical music: He released "Liverpool Oratorio" in 1991 and a symphony, "Standing Stone," six years later.
But he's still a pop giant -- and even NYCB's conductor, the French-born Faycal Karoui, was surprised by the depth of "Ocean's Kingdom."
"I didn't expect that music from him at all," Karoui says. "It's very colorful, and there are lots of contrasts in each movement. It's a real score from a real composer."
Though the substance of McCartney's ballet is classical, the style is something else. At rehearsal, Karoui recalls, the onetime Wings man asked the orchestra to "groove a little a bit. You know, it's more like jazz."
NYCB's musicians play a wide repertory of complex music -- Stravinsky is like "Chopsticks" to them.
Still, their conductor admitted, meeting McCartney gave them a case of Beatlemania: "When he came in the building, they were like kids and it was Christmas."
"Ocean's Kingdom" runs Thursday through Sept. 29, with more performances in January; nycballet.com, 212-870-5570.