Paris Opera Ballet’s ‘Red Carpet’ reveled in the garishness of glamour

I wanted to fall head-over-heels in love with Paris Opera Ballet’s North American premiere of Red Carpet, a new ballet by Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter. After all, it had among its unquestionable pedigreed assets 13 of the company’s inimitable dancers, costumes designed by Chanel, a dynamo set, and music by none other than Shechter himself—not to mention, a spectacular four-member jazz-rock band.

It was presented by Cal Performances October 2-4, one of only two U.S. stops on the company’s tour. (The other was New York.) In summary, the performance represented a real coupe, adding a prized feather to the organization’s already highly decorated cap.

And so it was with all manner of promise and high hopes the curtain rose on the 75-minute work, an investigation of red carpets—their