Strong and compelling
Deirdre Tarrant2/11/2011 10:39:00 a.m.
The Sleeping Beauty, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, St James Theatre, October 23. Reviewed by Deirdre Tarrant
IT was a lovely gesture to dedicate the opening performance of this new traditional picture story ballet to the late Alexander Grant. It is exactly the tradition he much admired and in which his outstanding career was forged with the Royal Ballet in London. Here was splendour and spectacle and the magic that ballet can conjure aplenty.
Designed by Gary Harris the sets and costumes were the stars of the show and provided a wonderful panorama to paint this new production on. Lighting by Jon Buswell was the other excellent factor in creating enchantment onstage. This is a big ballet in every sense, needing excellent technical skills and consummate artistry to make it work. Choreography by Greg Horsman holds true to much of the famous variations (although I missed the Lilac Fairy grand fouettes) and the story line delivers on the enchantment complete with some modern tweaking.
The Prologue has changed and the Garland dance is not the same dance of intricate patterning and flowers, but both these changes work well.
The dragon and Carabosse’s servants had a Weta workshop makeover and the spindles were truly burned giving the imperious Clytie Campbell’s interpretation of Carabosse a new ‘gift’ of a black rose for Aurora on her birthday. I was not so enamoured of Calabutte and the Nurse recast as the cats from Act Three and the running humour of cat chases seemed rather lightweight humour in such a magnificent event?
Guest artist Stella Abrera was delicate and beautiful as Aurora with the high-tensile technique required for her solos and Sergio Torrado, her Prince Desire was strong and compelling. But the fairytale wakening was rather a peremptory shake and there was little romance in this version of one of the most famous happy-ever-after- storylines.
The company need to settle to the challenges which are many and seemed to struggle with the style and lines of pure classical technique. The fairies flitted and had lovely qualities as agents of magic but needed a more thorough sense of togetherness. Lucy Green as the Green Fairy and Abigail Boyle as the Lilac Fairy both stood out for me as agents of magic and dancers of line and clarity. Tonia Looker sparkled as the fluttering Bluebird and generally the male corps de ballet were more secure and commanding in their ensemble work.
I feel that a week further on the opening night jitters will be overcome and this long awaited production of one of the most challenging traditional masterpieces in classical ballet will settle. A full length ballet as beautifully presented as this doesn’t happen often and deserves to be seen.
The Vector Orchestra conducted by Nigel Gaynor accompanied the ballet, playing Tchaikovsky’s stunning score well although at times there appeared to be some disconnect between the dancers and the music as they struggled to work as a cohesive cast in time with the music? An ambitious project three years in the planning and a great evening at the ballet
IT was a lovely gesture to dedicate the opening performance of this new traditional picture story ballet to the late Alexander Grant. It is exactly the tradition he much admired and in which his outstanding career was forged with the Royal Ballet in London. Here was splendour and spectacle and the magic that ballet can conjure aplenty.
Designed by Gary Harris the sets and costumes were the stars of the show and provided a wonderful panorama to paint this new production on. Lighting by Jon Buswell was the other excellent factor in creating enchantment onstage. This is a big ballet in every sense, needing excellent technical skills and consummate artistry to make it work. Choreography by Greg Horsman holds true to much of the famous variations (although I missed the Lilac Fairy grand fouettes) and the story line delivers on the enchantment complete with some modern tweaking.
The Prologue has changed and the Garland dance is not the same dance of intricate patterning and flowers, but both these changes work well.
The dragon and Carabosse’s servants had a Weta workshop makeover and the spindles were truly burned giving the imperious Clytie Campbell’s interpretation of Carabosse a new ‘gift’ of a black rose for Aurora on her birthday. I was not so enamoured of Calabutte and the Nurse recast as the cats from Act Three and the running humour of cat chases seemed rather lightweight humour in such a magnificent event?
Guest artist Stella Abrera was delicate and beautiful as Aurora with the high-tensile technique required for her solos and Sergio Torrado, her Prince Desire was strong and compelling. But the fairytale wakening was rather a peremptory shake and there was little romance in this version of one of the most famous happy-ever-after- storylines.
The company need to settle to the challenges which are many and seemed to struggle with the style and lines of pure classical technique. The fairies flitted and had lovely qualities as agents of magic but needed a more thorough sense of togetherness. Lucy Green as the Green Fairy and Abigail Boyle as the Lilac Fairy both stood out for me as agents of magic and dancers of line and clarity. Tonia Looker sparkled as the fluttering Bluebird and generally the male corps de ballet were more secure and commanding in their ensemble work.
I feel that a week further on the opening night jitters will be overcome and this long awaited production of one of the most challenging traditional masterpieces in classical ballet will settle. A full length ballet as beautifully presented as this doesn’t happen often and deserves to be seen.
The Vector Orchestra conducted by Nigel Gaynor accompanied the ballet, playing Tchaikovsky’s stunning score well although at times there appeared to be some disconnect between the dancers and the music as they struggled to work as a cohesive cast in time with the music? An ambitious project three years in the planning and a great evening at the ballet
