A classical ballet company stands or falls by its Swan Lake. Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece has seen numerous interpretations over the years, from the traditional to complete re-workings — think Matthew Bourne’s radical staging with its all-male corps de ballet of swans. Happily, the Royal Ballet’s long-awaited new production by Liam Scarlett does not disappoint.
Gone are the long, feathered tutus from the previous production, which were the subject of much criticism. Instead, we see a return to pure white classical tutus for the corps de ballet, which add to the sheer beauty of the lakeside scenes. Indeed, a lot of the success of this Swan Lake must be attributed to John Macfarlane’s lavish designs. His costumes — particularly in the Act III ballroom scene — are sumptuously detailed, with a great deal of sparkle.
Ultimately, it is the dancing that matters and this is where Liam Scarlett has come up trumps, adding touches which make dramatic sense but do not detract from the familiar story. He has elevated the role of the evil Von Rothbart, turning him into a sinister, Rasputin-like figure exerting his influence over Queen and court. At the performance I saw, Bennet Gartside excelled, stalking the stage with menace.
Most of the familiar lakeside choreography remains — why tamper with the genius of Petipa and Ivanov? — but Scarlett has created plenty of other dances, including a lovely new waltz for Act I and a nicely macho Spanish dance in Act III.
In the dual role of Odette-Odile, Akane Takada is a shy, yielding Swan Queen, with lightning-quick entrechats and exquisitely swan-like port de bras. She is a coolly seductive Odile, whipping off the famous 32 fouettes with ease. Federico Bonelli plays the doomed Prince Siegfried with impressive elevation and a steady hand in all the pas de deux.
In this production, he is left heartbroken at the end, clasping the body of his beloved, instead of joining her in some feathery paradise, which is the more familiar denouement. I prefer them both to ascend to swan heaven, but this finale works well, too.
A live performance will be broadcast to selected cinemas on June 12.
