The Birmingham Royal Ballet has come back to Plymouth with a classic show, “The Sleeping Beauty”, directed by Carlos Acosta and coached by Dame Darcey Bussell. Last time they were here with “Black Sabbath – The Ballet”, they wowed local audiences.
But this time the world-renowned dance company return to Plymouth with a more traditional production. Sir Peter Wright’s “The Sleeping Beauty” celebrates its 4Oth anniversary this year. It may be advancing in years but it’s anything but tired.
From the live orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s famous score to the intricately designed sets and lovingly restored costumes, this show is a masterpiece.
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The dancers, of course, take centre stage. Directed by Carlos Acosta and coached by Dame Darcy Bussell, all of the performers are so incredibly expressive that following the fairy tale narrative is effortless. In that sense, “The Sleeping Beauty” is the perfect ballet to watch if you’ve never seen one before.
Its introduction is epic. Loud trumpets herald the arrival of King Florestan and his Queen when they gather to celebrate their daughter’s christening. A series of captivating group and solo performances lighten up the lavish set whilst the royal couple rejoice in the safe arrival of their precious daughter, Princess Aurora (Céline Gittens). It’s a fast paced, joyous prologue enhanced by its superb set and costume design. The team capture the opulence of palace life so accurately that you feel as though you’ve been physically pulled inside a Neoclassical painting.
But as magical as these opening moments are, the entirely black costumes worn by Princess Aurora’s maids hint at the dark events that lurk beneath the gloss of this grandiose occasion. Carabosse’s (Gabriel Anderson) disruptive and dramatic arrival marks one of the most memorable aspects of the night. Thunder erupts and like a bat out of a hell, he explodes onto the stage accompanied by an evil entourage dressed as demonic black crows. Anderson’s performance brings a macabre energy to the previously serene stage and his henchmen create carnage. Reveling in their villainy, they stamp and roam the stage like rabid dogs. The groups’ more modern movements really bring this dark side of the story to life.
But Sleeping Beauty is, overall, a happy story and so The Lilac Fairy (Yu Kurihara) starts putting a plan into place to save Princess Aurora from Carabosse’s curse. The Lilac Fairy’s performance is utterly mesmerizing. Elegantly beckoning the branches of the trees to descend from the sky, she helps to reassure the audience that good will conquer evil and Aurora will survive.
Whilst all of the evenings’ performances are highly commendable, the real stars of the show are Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund. (Céline Gittens and Yasiel Hodelín Bello). Their chemistry is believable. In this production, they dance together both when Aurora is technically “asleep” and when she awakens from her century-long slumber. In both key scenes, they work together harmoniously to convey the wide range of emotions each of their characters’ experience.
A more sorrowful a pas de deux in Act 2 gives way to an explosively energetic duet in Act 3.Throughout both acts, Gittens proves she is more than up to the huge physical demands of the Princesses’ role and spins repeatedly and continuously around her Prince without even a trace of a wobble. For someone who spends the entire evening en pointe, this is impressive.
Seeing a show of this caliber feels like a privilege. The running time is 2 hours and 50 minutes (inc 2 intervals) but I can honestly say that every moment is so absorbing that the time flies by.
In fact, I only wish it was longer so I had more time to marvel at its brilliance; it’s a ballet you won’t forget.
The Sleeping Beauty is on at Theatre Royal Plymouth until March 23. Get your tickets here.