Thanks to the success of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino are able to do just about anything they’d like.
And that, in a nutshell, is “Etoile,” a series about the inner workings of two ballet companies, one in New York and one in Paris — a heady proposition if there was one. Fearing financial losses if they don’t do something surprising, the companies’ leaders agree to a talent swap. How well those shifts go is largely the head of the pin “Etoile” dances on.
Tobias (Gideon Glick) and Jack (Luke Kirby), left, watch as dancers go through their paces in "Etoile."
While the first couple of episodes play out like “Center Stage,” “Fame” and any number of behind-the-scenes dance films, “Etoile” warms up and becomes a more fascinating look at the challenges artistic folks face — particularly in light of billionaires hoping to buy their way into the business like some 21st century Medicis.
Luke Kirby plays the leader of a New York ballet company that's facing challenges in "Etoile."
The Palladinos still use some of the tricks they plied in series like “Bunheads” and “Mrs. Maisel,” but they find an interesting niche with Gideon Glick as an offbeat choreographer and Lou de Laage as an outspoken ballerina. They’re part of the switch and hardly ready to “play nice” with the folks in their new homes.
That means plenty of angst for Jack (the always-good Luke Kirby) and Genevieve (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the two companies’ heads. They’re constantly swimming up a murky stream, trying to maintain the tradition that is ballet without completely selling out to someone who wants etched Champagne flutes as souvenirs.
Cheyenne (Lou de Laâge) and Jack (Luke Kirby) square off in "Etoile."
While Jack has problems with the mouthy Cheyenne Touissant (de Laage), Genevieve has to reconcile bringing back a ballerina she released some time earlier. Mom and dad, it seems, are big benefactors. The company, meanwhile, believes she’s just another “nee-po baby.”
Genevíeve (Charlotte Gainsbourg) has to deal with two continents of trouble in "Etoile."
In the course of setting boundaries, the show’s writers use way too much French (sorry, but they do) but manage some very funny lines that play on both levels. When her dancers become a little too much to handle, Genevieve tosses out, “Who wants free cigarettes?”
That kind of surprise (in addition to a charming performance by David Haig as Jack’s guiding light) suggests there’s a concept worth saving.
“Etoile” (which means “star” in French) wants to be more high-brow than it should. The dances are beautiful, but the characters shouldn’t have to walk in others’ toe shoes. We’ve seen the petulance, the bickering, the histrionics before.
Simon Callow plays the rich benefactor who's becoming a thorn in ballet's side in "Etoile." Lou de Laage is a star dancer with issues.
Now, we need the storytelling. And that’s where the series gets to by the sixth episode. Then, we’re familiar with the characters, we have buy-in with the plots and we understand where this is headed. An episode about the need to do yet another “Nutcracker” scratches at the surface of what it could be.
As much as he’s supposed to be the thorn in ballet’s slipper, Simon Callow turns up too often as the benefactor. He could be “directed” but Jack just wants him out — a non-starter considering the old money has already dried up. How he finesses him would be a better goal for the next season.
And the cast? It’s too large for something that’s already unwieldy. Eliminating the side stories (did we need Jack’s sister in this?) could put the focus where it needs to be: creating art in a bankrupt society.
Borrowing a page from Amy and Dan’s playbook, “Etoile” could show us how creatives get billionaires to back their vanity projects. There’s a process. They’re just not letting on.
“Etoile” is now airing on Prime.
