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Beauty awakening
Momoko Hirata, Laura-Jane Gibson, Samara Downs, Angela Paul and Callie Roberts as Fairies. Photo: Roy Smiljanic The
Sleeping Beauty Birmingham
Royal Ballet Birmingham
Hippodrome *****
ROMANTIC, soaring, symphonic music, sumptuous sets, glorious costumes,
superb dancing – when it comes to Birmingham Royal Ballet you could
almost have that on a save/recall key such is the level of consistency. The
company is also developing strength in depth from promising young
artists to seasoned principals. On Wednesday it was the turn of Iain
Mackay and Jenna Roberts to strut their stuff as Prince Florimund and
Princess Aurora. Jenna seems to be becoming
more assured each season and danced the role as a Princess should with
elegance, style and confidence complemented by the athletic Mackay who
has that ability shared with the best football strikers of appearing to
hang in the air. His lifts appear effortless
and the Grand pas de deux in act three was a delight by a couple who
danced so well together, earning a standing ovation. One of Mackay's
solos had so many spins even the audience were dizzy and Jenna displayed
some great balance and some stunning footwork The final act is a celebration
of the awakened princess and is full of cameo dances with coquettish
Emily Smith as the white cat to Kit Holder's Puss in Boots while Yasuo
Atsuji and Céline Gittens produced a dramatic Bluebird and Enchanted
Princess balanced by the light hearted Red Riding Hood and the Wolf from
Jade Heusen and Tom Rogers. Yvette Knight, Delia Mathews,
Feargus Campbell and Steven Monteith produced some excellent dancing
with good co-ordination in the pas de quattre. The Prologue also gave us some
lovely solos this time from Natasha Oughtred, Arancha Baselga, Maureya
Lebowitz, Ruth Brill, who showed remarkably quick feet, Angela Paul and
Céline Gittens, again, as, respectively, the fairies of Beauty, Honour,
Modesty, Song, Temperament and joy.
Rory Mackay was subservient
enough as the Master of Ceremonies while Samara Downs and Wolfgang
Stollwittzer made a regal elegant royal couple. The two main protagonists
though are the evil fairy Carabosse, who took umbrage at not being
invited to the party to celebrate Aurora's birth, and the fairy
godmother figure of The Lilac Fairy, danced with a wonderfully warm
smile by the statuesque Yijing Zhang, who danced as if she was really
enjoying herself, carrying the audience with her. Carabosse, danced by Callie
Roberts, had a good evil cackle on her and with her slinking attendants,
who looked like extras left over from some forgotten horror B-movie, did
her best to put the frighteners on and she did manage the old spindle
trick with the pricked finger in an attempt to kill off the princess,
thwarted and commuted to a sleep needing a kiss from a passing prince by
the Lilac Fairy, which gave us an extra act and a change of scenery. The design was by Philip
Prowse and gave us a huge, elegant palace which became overgrown by
weeds, and undergrowth for a middle act all cleverly lit by Peter Teigen
from the original lighting by Mark Jonathan. As usual the Royal Ballet
Sinfonia, under Paul Murphy, was the final member of the cast, producing
another high quality performance which would stand alone in a concert
hall. A special mention for some outstanding solo violin playing. We are
never told who but assume it was leader Robert Gibbs. The choreography was by Peter
Wright in his 1984 production and, from the 1890 premiere, Marius Petipa. With a soaring acTchaikovsky
score this is classical, romantic ballet at its best. To 12-10-13. Roger
Clarke 09-10-13 performance And
waking-up in the other corner *****
EVEN if this was the first ballet you had ever seen, you couldn't fail
to be amazed by the quality of the dancing, music, costumes and scenery.
Sir Peter Wright's production
is simply breathtaking as the BRB present the timeless fairtale about a
beautiful princess who falls into a hundred-year sleep after pricking
her finger on a spindle. The curse is delivered by the
black-clad Fairy Carabosse, peeved that she hasn't been invited to
Princess Aurora's christening, but fortunately the Lilac Fairy (Jenna
Roberts) decrees that a kiss from a prince will eventually awake her. The story is performed to
Tchaikovsky's classical score played impeccably by the Royal Ballet
Sinfonia, conducted by Koen Kessels, and Mark Jonathan's lighting,
recreated by Peter Teigen, adds considerably to the overall enjoyment. Costumes are sumptuous, and
the dancing of Nao Sakuma, as Princess Aurora, and Chi Cao (Prince
Florimund) is a sheer delight. The reception the pair receive at the
final curtain says it all. Outstanding performances, too,
from Arancha Baselga, Angela Paul, Feargus Campbell and Steven
Monteith in the pas de quatre at the start of act III, while Kit Holder
and Yvette Knight excel as Puss-in-Boots and the White Cat. A clever
piece full of humour and skilla. Marion Tait is full of menace
in the role of Carabosse, and there is a memorable scene when she
arrives at the christening with her six, evil-looking henchmen. A
spectacular finale brings the production to a close with a cascade of
golden tinsel. Choreography is by Peter Wright and Marius Petipa in a stunning ballet which runs to 12.10.13 Paul
Marston 08-10-13 performance
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