Although his works are primarily associated with The Royal Ballet, Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s ballets are sometimes performed by other British companies, and this revival of his Sleeping Beauty for the English National Ballet coincides with the recent anniversary of his death.
If you want a traditional staging of this popular classic, then ENB’s production will not disappoint. Peter Farmer’s set has an abundance of green foliage – rather too much for my liking – and some of the courtiers’ costumes (by Nicholas Georgiadis) are a little fussy, but the tutus are pretty, with lots of sparkle in the last act.
On the opening night, Aurora was danced by Alina Cojocaru. In Act 1 she looked incredibly young, and her sure technique saw her sail through the perils of the Rose Adage with ease – no wobbles in those tricky final balances.
The wicked fairy Carabosse is, in this production, played by a man. James Streeter, in a large black ruff and red wig, played her like Queen Elizabeth I having a particularly bad day. Surrounded by her retinue of bald, menacing attendants, he made the most of this pivotal role.
MacMillan did not tamper with much of Petipa’s familiar choreography, so we still have the intricate patterns of the corps de ballet in Act Two, and the lovely divertissements in the final act. All the solos are danced well, but Rina Kanehara should be singled out for her lovely Princess Florine in the Bluebird pas de deux, and Connie Vowles was a cheeky White Cat.
Joseph Caley danced Prince Desire with style, displaying fine elevation and finishing his solos spot on – all the soloists’ timings were excellent in this respect.
Tchaikovsky’s famous score was played with verve by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, conducted by Gavin Sutherland. He took some of the fairies’ solos at a slow pace, enabling the dancers to make the most of the testing choreography.
If you have never seen a ballet before, and want to see a classic done well, then ENB’s Sleeping Beauty is a good place to start.
The English National Ballet is performing The Sleeping Beauty at the London Coliseum until 16 June.
