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

While settling down to write my third review of a ballet (only also the fourth I had seen), it strikes me that I am still limited in my understanding and slightly feel a fraud for attempting to even write a review of one. However, then I think what I always do at this stage, that I shall be here to offer advice to those potential new audience members who are thinking of challenging themselves with a bit of different art, advice as to whether to take the plunge. So, here as a bystander to proper ballet knowledge, I offer my thoughts of Sleeping Beauty by The Russian State Ballet of Siberia.

The tale of Sleeping Beauty needs little introduction, and as my previous encounter with the Siberia ballet, Cinderella attested to, this can be the best way of getting into ballet as a layman. Knowing the story well, goes a long way to enjoying ballet, and who doesn't know about Sleeping Beauty and the knitting needles?

This production immediately captivates with the colour and energy of the opening prologue. Full of excellent moments of choreography, and even this opening piece, full to the brim with that one move we all know, even if we don't know ballet, en pointe.

Despite this being a story told through dance, there are some great characters created. Alexander Kuimov and Vera Surovtseva have a great presence as the stately King and Queen, with the former a particularly expressive face as well.

Francesco is quite brilliant as master of ceremonies Cattalabutte, while scene-stealer and scenery-chewing Egor Osokin is devilishly wicked as Carabosse, who you want to boo in the best panto traditions, and eventually, at the curtain call, the audience is up for doing so, perhaps to the dismay of maybe some of the most rigid of ballet aficionados.

As the Princess and Prince, Anastasia Belonogova and Francisco Gimenez are stunning in their solos, but even more beautiful together when finally paired up in the second half of the second act, and the pieces combined with some special characters including Puss-in-Boots, White Cat, and Little Red Riding Hood form a delightful culmination to the ballet.

The set is simple but effective, with a large projection, often animated, offering the background to scenes. It's not groundbreaking, but it does the job and allows the main business of the ballet to be unhindered. Conductor Anatoliy Chepurnoy and his large orchestra fill the theatre beautifully with Tchaikovsky's classic music.

This was easily the best of the three offerings of ballet that I have seen at the Royal & Derngate, and this talented group provide a solid evening of touring ballet and are also presenting two other shows this week at the Royal & Derngate, Coppélia and Swan Lake (as depicted in the second and third images on this review). If you have never encountered ballet before, maybe you should take this opportunity, but you may need to read up on the synopsis beforehand!

A solid performance of the classic tale with great production and one particularly great star turn.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday 27th January 2020 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia performs Coppélia (28th January) and Swan Lake (29th January including matinee) at the Royal & Derngate, before continuing its tour.

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

Photos: Graeme Braidwood

Review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Milton Keynes Theatre

There have been numerous productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's groundbreaking musical since it first appeared in 1968 and opened in the West End in 1973. One might wonder if there is still room for another tour. However, judging by the packed audience in Milton Keynes Theatre for the opening night of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , much interest remains for this show. Also, with this production first seen at The London Palladium in June 2019, and with a few production elements altered, Joseph still has, after all those years, the room to change and evolve. However, the question is, does this change help or hinder the show's history? For those unfamiliar with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it tells the story of Joseph, Jacob's favourite son, in a lighthearted and musical style that jumps between various genres. Joseph's brothers are somewhat envious of him, leading to them selling him into slavery to an Egyptian nobleman. As for ...

Review of 2:22 A Ghost Story at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

2:22 A Ghost Story continues an endless rise and run of success on the stage. This play by Danny Robins was first staged as recently as August 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre and since then the show continued to run in London for two years, moving to four further London theatres, before eventually closing in the city to embark on this tour, which began in September last year. During these runs, the cast has constantly been updated with often populist actors, and some, which are not even associated with acting. As this reaches Royal & Derngate, now even the touring cast has been swept clean and four further performers take on the incredible success of a show. This is the second time I have seen 2:22 A Ghost Story , and it is safe to say that on that first viewing, with the previous tour cast, I was not as blown away by the play as the success seemed to warrant. The aforementioned populist casting seemed to have driven a so-so ghostly tale into success beyond its quality, and with th...

Review of Fawlty Towers at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The seventies comedy series Fawlty Towers , written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, remains one of the most enduring shows of all time. While some now frown on some of the content as being politically incorrect, it is impossible to see the antics of Basil Fawlty, his wife Sybil, and his staff as anything other than stunningly clever TV comedy of the highest standard. So, when news broke that Cleese was adapting three of his most famous episodes for the stage, there was a mix of naysayers predicting failure and jubilators ready for success. As the show now rolls into Royal & Derngate as part of an extensive tour following a hugely successful London run, the naysayers have gone quiet, and the audiences are packed. For those unfamiliar with the show, Fawlty Towers featured inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty battling everything from corpses and rats to Germans in his campaign to create the very best hotel, despite his constant annoyance with humanity, including the guests....

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog