Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet
Music by Prokofiev
Birmingham Royal Ballet
The Lowry, 30 June 2010

Chi Cao as Romeo. Photo: Bill Cooper

This is a positively spiffing production of one of the most beautiful ballets.

Nao Sakuma as Juliet was quite enchanting.  She showed a girlish charm and a telling, tragic vulnerability.  What a wonderfully elegant dancer she is!  Chi Cao as her beloved Romeo was as gallant and noble as you could wish.  Let us not forget also Robert Parker’s Tybalt, played as a subtly sinister personage rather than an out-and-out baddie.

Between them, the assembled troupe and the orchestra realised Prokofiev’s sublime score and MacMillan’s classic choreography with some considerable aplomb.  And the sumptuous sets and costumes played their part, too, in transporting you to a magical time and place.

Theatrically, this was pretty much a paradisal experience: an inspiring and moving production.  It’s a pity how it all turns out for the lovely couple, mind.  But, then again, it wasn’t all apple pie with cream for Adam and Eve either.

Romeo and Juliet is at The Lowry until 3 July and then touring throughout the UK.  Details here.

The Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty
Music by Tchaikovsky
Birmingham Royal Ballet
The Lowry, 30 March 2010

A fine production of The Sleeping Beauty that is sure to awaken all of your senses.

Tchaikovsky’s seductive score draws you in, while the sumptuous sets and costumes enchant you still further.  As for the dancers, their feet must surely have wings: there can be no other explanation for their prowess.

The most breathtaking moment came when Nao Sakuma (a radiantly beautiful Princess Aurora) bent well forward on point, momentarily unsupported.  It seemed as though the laws of physics had been broken, or at any rate likewise momentarily suspended.  Indeed, perhaps the architects of the Large Hadron Collider should look here for the secret key to the origin of the universe.

The Sleeping Beauty is a ballet that all can enjoy, even the very young, and it is ideal for introducing children to this wonderful form of theatre.  And if you ignite their interest early they’ll soon want more of it.

Only the somnolent could fail to be invigorated by this splendid Birmingham Royal Ballet production.

The Sleeping Beauty is at The Lowry until 3 April and visits London later that month.  Details here.