Review of Cinderella by The Russian State Ballet of Siberia at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The story of Cinderella lives strongly in most peoples memories, perhaps told as a bedtime story, or perhaps a pantomime at Christmas, perhaps less so first experienced as a ballet. It does though perhaps offer one of the best opportunities for someone to experience ballet for the first time (or the second in my case), as its immediately familiar tale allows you to not try to work out what is going on, but to experience the ballet properly from the outset.

The first thing that strikes from this production by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia is the quality of it, there is a striking full height digital projection throughout the show, which moves us from location to location with it's switching backdrop. It doesn't, as sometimes can feel, a cheap alternative to a physical set, and instead keeps the piece flowing better, with concentration purely on the dance. This projection is also neatly used as an interactive element at one point with the mirror of what Cinderella is to become. It's clever and gives that extra nice visual flair.

Also, the production has some striking costumes throughout by Valeriy Kungurov, full of vibrant colour and style. There is no greater than the rather magnificent clock costumes of the opening scene (and returning later). This scene itself sets the evening out for an entertaining and vibrant one, as the clock scenes are the particular strong point of the 12 strong ensemble numbers.

Cinderella herself is played sweetly by Ekaterina Bulgutova, but perhaps doesn't get much opportunity to fully show her skills until the second act. Much of the early part is taken up by the storytelling, that the ballet is kept surprisingly simple. It's worth noting in fact that we don't see that distinct and most familiar en pointe until almost half an hour in.

This is not to say that the early parts disappoint, there is great fun to be had from the scenes with the Stepmother (Pavel Kirchev) and stepsisters (Anastasia Osokina and Perdita-Jayne Lancaster) creating an immense amount of humour from the characters. There is an issue that this and some of the choreography becomes slightly repetitive, the feeding scene, for instance, is effectively just repeated in the second act, and feels there just as a filler.

It is perhaps not until the second act that Cinderella totally flourishes properly, and the increased response from the audience highlighted this as well. Perhaps the biggest effect of this is the arrival of the Prince, performed by Yury Kudryavtsev, the absolute star of the show. His flourishing arrival and opening dance sequence is the highlight of the production, and later in his partnership with Bulgutova, he clearly brings out the best in her as well, with the choreography allowing them also to show their significant skills much more.

Elsewhere the work of the ensemble is good, if on occasion a little distracting, where it would be just nice to concentrate on the principals, and there are more than a few occasions synchronicity is lacking. Music is brought to life with Prokofiev sounding glorious under the conduction of Anatoliy Chepurmoy and his superb orchestra.

The Russian State Ballet of Siberia is clearly a talented group and this is an excellent little touring production well worth catching for a first dip perhaps in the ballet world, or a continuation of one. They present the Snow Maiden this evening (Tuesday) at the Royal & Derngate and tomorrow The Nutcracker before continuing their 2019 tour.

A solid retelling of the classic tale with great production and one particularly great star turn.
⭐⭐⭐½

Performance reviewed: Monday 7th January 2019 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

The Russian State Ballet of Siberia performs Snow Maiden (8th January) and The Nutcracker (9th January) at the Royal & Derngate, before continuing it's tour.

For further details about the Royal & Derngate see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Graeme Braidwood

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre

Richard O’Brien’s anarchic, surreal, and often incomprehensible musical, The Rocky Horror Show , has captivated audiences for over fifty years now. With this new tour, it feels as fresh and unpredictable as if it had just emerged from O’Brien's vivid imagination yesterday. While another review might seem unnecessary given the countless dressed-up fans who fill every theatre it visits, let’s go ahead and write one anyway. The Rocky Horror Show follows the adventures of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple. On a dark and stormy November evening, they run into car trouble and seek refuge at a mysterious castle reminiscent of Frankenstein’s. There, they encounter the eccentric handyman Riff-Raff, the outrageous scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a host of other bizarre characters. What unfolds is a science fiction B-movie narrative that is at times coherent and at other times bewildering — yet somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. I first saw The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and exper...

Review of Dial M For Mayhem! at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Middle Ground Theatre has been creating unique and intrepid adventures for the stage since the late eighties, and with Dial M For Mayhem! , they take those experiences and bring to the stage a brand new play within a play now arriving for a week run at Royal & Derngate. Written by Margaret May Hobbs and directed by Michael Lunney, Dial M For Mayhem! has much to admire. Still, sadly, for every good joke, amusing set piece and chaotic moment, there are too many periods of flatness, stilted sequences and, especially during the first act, too many slow scenes which either tread the same old ground or bring nothing new to the proceedings and then fail to flow into the next leaving it often disjointed. The cast does their very best, though, and the characters they bring to the stage are entertaining and perfect for this farcical play, but they lack depth despite the script trying desperately at times to give them one. The attempt to create character also comes at the expense of the farc...

Review of Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors at Milton Keynes Theatre

It is now a remarkable 32 years since the first Horrible Histories book reached the shelves, and since that first Terry Deary book, suitably for this show, The Terrible Tudors , the children's entertainment franchise has become a historic event of its own. Since 1993, there have been 23 books, several TV series, a game show and a film. During those years, the Horrible Histories franchise has also graced the stage for several past shows, and here, now at Milton Keynes Theatre, comes a joint pairing of Terrible Tudors and Awful Egyptians on alternating performances. The question though, is it a deserving part of the famous franchise? A categoric yes is an answer to this neat, fast-paced show, written by original writer Terry Deary and directed by Neal Foster, who also co-wrote the show. Performed by a cast of three, it entertains and thrills throughout. The level of comedy scares, and, most importantly, education is pitched perfectly, as the series has become famous for. The cast...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog