Sleeping Beauty English National Ballet
Liverpool Empire
Jeanette Smith 9/10
Exquisite dancing, costumes and sets, make this production of Sleeping Beauty with the English National Ballet a pure delight.
Instead of the frippery that often accompanies stagings of the Nutcracker, here we have more pure ballet and less character acting. That�s not to say that there�s no drama, for Carabosse, the evil fairy, is brilliantly danced by Andre Portasio. His portrayal is the epitome of malevolence. Her rich black gown, white face and red painted eyes, assisted by wonderful acting brought boos at curtain call, such was the affect she had on the audience.
Her evil is tempered by the goodness of the Lilac Fairy, enchantingly danced by Sarah McIlroy with dainty footwork and grace. She commands the stage and is more than a match for the evil Carobosse who is eventually dispatched. The key role of Aurora, the young girl who is put to sleep by the prick of a spindle, is skilfully portrayed by Elena Glurdjidze, partnered by Prince Desire, Arionel Vargas.
What makes this production magical is the richness of the costumes and tutus. The colour palette combines pastel pinks, lilacs, blues, with rich pale gold. This is used against lush grey green scenery of either a forest or a golden-hued ballroom. The corps de ballet wear rich coat dresses and tricorn hats with the ladies in beautifully embroidered gowns.
The ballet is rather long, but this does give others in the company a chance to shine. The pairing of Venus Villa and Pedro Lapetra as the Bluebird and Princess Florine in the final wedding party scene is delightful. Their strong dancing and technique was a joy to watch,
Then there are the touches of humour that are scattered throughout this production. Such moments are also epitomised by portrayals of Red Riding Hood (Lisa Probert) and the Wolf (James Streeter), but the pair deserving an accolade is Puss in Boots and the White Cat (Ksenia Ovsyanick and Juan Rodrigues) whose amusing portrayal brought laughs from the audience.
Danced to the wonderful music of Tchaikovsky this is a production that will enchant those who only go once a year, but also the balletomanes who can appreciate beautiful dancing.
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