Birmingham Royal Ballet - Sleeping Beauty, Spring 2024

[alison]

She certainly has grown in this ballet since I saw her near-debut in Southampton.  And yes, I agree about the chemistry: I actually felt that their story mattered, which I find is a bit of a rare thing in Sleeping Beauty.

[Roberta]

16 hours ago, Geoff said:

To those who are puzzled by the colour of Lilac’s dress, perhaps the gels were originally set differently, which might have adjusted the look of that costume.

 

Lilac comes in different shades, as well as mauve there is pink, also magenta, white and deeper purple. Not, I agree, grey. However it is perhaps the name of the fairy which is important?  Lilac was a symbol of wisdom. The Wisdom Fairy. 

 

Russians believe that holding a lilac over a newborn will bring wisdom. 

 

Apparently, in the symbolic language of flowers,  Violet lilacs symbolize spirituality. Blue lilacs symbolize happiness and tranquility. Magenta lilacs symbolize love and passion. Lilac, the color for which this flower is named, is a light purple that symbolizes a first love.

[LinMM]

Well to me magenta is magenta and purple is purple …not lilac!!
Some lilacs might be a slightly more pinky shade of mauve and some more of a  bluey shade of mauve but stretching it to magenta or purple is a step too far!! 
I am talking about the colour lilac though not the flowers which come in all shades. 

Edited April 29 by LinMM

[Sebastian]

Might I add a few comments on the Lilac Fairy?

 

When one looks back at the Perrault stories from which the ballet derives, there is no Lilac Fairy in the story La Belle au Bois Dormant, only a "good fairy". However another story from an earlier Perrault collection - Peau d'Asne, usually translated as Donkey-skin - features a fairy called Lilac.

 

As it happens Donkey-Skin is listed as one of the fairy-tale characters in the ballet's Act III procession, so we can assume that the audience in 1890 were as familiar with that story as with the Sleeping Beauty. Here are some echoes from the story:

 

-- The young Princess, beside herself with misery, at last bethought her of the Lilac-fairy, her godmother; determined to consult her

-- The Lilac-fairy, who knew all, hastened to comfort her 

-- The Princess, confused by all these caresses and by the love of the handsome young Prince, was about to thank them when suddenly the ceiling opened, and the Lilac-fairy descended in a chariot made of the branches and flowers from which she took her name

 

(from the 1922 English translation, easily found online).

[Roberta]

I confess until recently I had not considered why there was a White Cat specifically, dancing with Puss In Boots.  I bought a book 'The Lost Princess Women Writers and the History of the Classic Fairy Tale' by Anne E Duggan* and the penny dropped.   https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/the-lost-princess

 

Wiki has the details. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Cat_(fairy_tale)

 

*Edit: the blurb

 

"A recovery of the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales.

People often associate fairy tales with Disney films, and with the male authors from whom Disney often drew inspiration – notably Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. In these portrayals the princess is a passive, compliant figure. By contrast, The Lost Princess shows that classic fairy tales such as ‘Cinderella’, ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ have a much richer, more complex history than Disney’s saccharine depictions. Anne E. Duggan recovers the voices of women writers such as Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, Marie-Jeanne L’Héritier and Charlotte-Rose de La Force, who penned popular tales about ogre-killing, pregnant, cross-dressing, dynamic heroines who saved the day. This new history will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales."

 

Edited April 29 by Roberta

[Sebastian]

1 hour ago, Roberta said:

I confess until recently I had not considered why there was a White Cat specifically, dancing with Puss In Boots.  I bought a book 'The Lost Princess Women Writers and the History of the Classic Fairy Tale' by Anne E Duggan* and the penny dropped.   https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/the-lost-princess

 

If you might like to dig further @Roberta, you could do worse than look up this collection published the previous year (and reviewed by Duggan around the time her book came out, short extract below):

 

Miracles of Love: French Fairy Tales by Women. Ed. Nora Martin Peterson. Trans. Jordan Stump. (New York: Modern  Language Association of America, 2022. Pp. xxxiii + 244, introduction, collections in first fairy tale vogue [1690–1703], source texts and other editions consulted, suggested reading, translator’s note, works cited.)

Miracles of Love: French Fairy Tales by Women is the first time the Modern Language Association (MLA) series Texts and Translations has published a collection of fairy tales by the conteuses of the 1690s. The series aims to make world-language texts available in English (as well as in the source language) for undergraduate and graduate classrooms. Miracles of Love presents a select group of tales by the conteuses, focusing on Catherine Bernard, Catherine Durand, Charlotte-Rose Caumont de La Force, Marie-Jeanne L’héritier de Villandon, and Henriette-Julie de Castelnau, Comtesse de Murat. As the title indicates, this anthology focuses on questions related to love and how tales by the conteuses challenge contemporary Disneyfied conceptions filled with good fairies, innocent romance, and happy endings.

 

However it is only fair to point out that neither Duggan nor the Peterson collection will help one learn more about Perrault, or what he was up to with his stories. For this I recommend Jeanne Morgan Zarucchi, Lydie Jean, Jack Zipes, Lewis Seifert, Oded Rabinovitch, Morna Daniels, not forgetting Marc Soriano and other writers in French. 

 

Edited April 29 by Sebastian

[Roberta]

Just now, Sebastian said:

If you might like to dig further @Roberta, you could do worse than look up this collection published the previous year (and reviewed by Duggan around the time her book came out, short extract below)

 

Thanks for this! I wasn't big on so called fairy tales as a child. I was given a Grimm one Christmas and yes, found it grim. It was part of a set which included Little Women, which I adored (and still do). 

 

Possibly I need to catch up on that missing childhood reading. (Fantasy fiction isn't my thing, nor Magic Realism. I've just read The Lost Bookshop and thought it would have been better without all the so called magic. Baffling.)

 

I do wonder if audiences in the past were well versed in all the tales and characters, or if they simply watched and enjoyed the dancing. 

 

 

[Sebastian]

1 minute ago, Roberta said:

I do wonder if audiences in the past were well versed in all the tales and characters, or if they simply watched and enjoyed the dancing. 

 

Vsevolozhsky had read Perrault's stories in the original. Dore's illustrations (for the most popular French edition, widely available in Russian in the 19th century) were, so said reviewers at the time of the 1890 ballet, highly influential when it came to the stage designs. 

[Roberta]

2 minutes ago, Sebastian said:

Vsevolozhsky had read Perrault's stories in the original. Dore's illustrations (for the most popular French edition, widely available in Russian in the 19th century) were, so said reviewers at the time of the 1890 ballet, highly influential when it came to the stage designs.

 

Do you think today's audiences are as widely read, or has Disney coloured our views? 

I do know the Dore illustrations but as I said, fairies and fantasy tales really have never been my thing.  Chopping off toes and heads and the rest leaves me cold. Even if it's women doing the chopping as justified revenge. 

 

(Hans Christian Anderson, also more dismal and baffling to me as a child than the movie with chirpy Danny Kaye.)

[Dawnstar]

Further to the comments about the Lilac Fairy's gown in this production, I was okay with the colour and liked it from the front but was rather puzzled by the back, which looked rather as though it didn't fit very well & was being held together by strings. This was Eilis Small at the first of the Sadler's Wells performances. Can anyone say if the other Lilac Fairies' gowns looked the same at the back, which would indicate that it was actually part of the design?

 

[San Perregrino]

Can anyone shed any light on why Red Riding Hood was wearing orange? 

[Jan McNulty]

46 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

Can anyone shed any light on why Red Riding Hood was wearing orange? 

 

 

I don't know but I have had discussions with the lady I go to for art workshops about why orange in my watercolour pallet is called Cadmium Red and apparently orange was the original red...

[Jan McNulty]

10 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

Further to the comments about the Lilac Fairy's gown in this production, I was okay with the colour and liked it from the front but was rather puzzled by the back, which looked rather as though it didn't fit very well & was being held together by strings. This was Eilis Small at the first of the Sadler's Wells performances. Can anyone say if the other Lilac Fairies' gowns looked the same at the back, which would indicate that it was actually part of the design?

 

 

Do you mean the "strings" across the back?  I have seen these on many costumes over the years - they are to facilitate them being worn by more than one dancer who may all be different sizes.  Some of these costumes date back to the original production.

 

I remember being able to look at some of the costumes in the backstage area at Plymouth many years ago and seeing various historic names inside them.  It was fascinating.

[Scheherezade]

53 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

 

I don't know but I have had discussions with the lady I go to for art workshops about why orange in my watercolour pallet is called Cadmium Red and apparently orange was the original red...

That’s something I didn’t know. 

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Do you mean the "strings" across the back?  I have seen these on many costumes over the years - they are to facilitate them being worn by more than one dancer who may all be different sizes.  Some of these costumes date back to the original production.

 

Yes. I'm aware that costumes are often made so the sizes can be varied but I've never noticed it be obviously visible like that before.

[Jan McNulty]

18 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Yes. I'm aware that costumes are often made so the sizes can be varied but I've never noticed it be obviously visible like that before.

 

Not necessarily on that costume but I have.

[Pas de Quatre]

They are traditional style lacing strings for boned bodices, which can be at the front or the back depending on the design of the costume.   To me they look as if they are badly threaded as you can't see the proper criss- cross pattern.  How tight they should be pulled depends on the measurements of the dancer.  In the corps de ballet we would make a "train" with each girl lacing the one in front!

[Lizbie1]

58 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

They are traditional style lacing strings for boned bodices, which can be at the front or the back depending on the design of the costume.   To me they look as if they are badly threaded as you can't see the proper criss- cross pattern.  How tight they should be pulled depends on the measurements of the dancer.  In the corps de ballet we would make a "train" with each girl lacing the one in front!

 

NOT in any corps de ballet but some years ago I had to wear this type of costume for a choir and we did the same, joining the front of the train as we were ready to be laced. It makes for a good photograph!

[maryrosesatonapin]

On 26/04/2024 at 12:07, Jan McNulty said:

 

It may be a BRB thing.  The ushers at the Hippodrome were jumping on anyone with a phone let alone a camera at the curtain calls for Cesar's penultimate performance.

Sadlers Wells have been strict with other companies than BRB - so they seem to have that policy, possibly not communicated well enough to staff as curtain calls should surely be allowed.  (On another note, how I would love to have DVDs of Cesar Morales' performances.  He was so special.)

[maryrosesatonapin]

I adore this production, and was at the Saturday night performance (having booked to see Alina Cojocaru).  I felt for Yu Kurihara having to replace such an unparalleled ballerina.  She seemed nervous to me, but improved as the performance went on.  Lachlan Monaghan impressed me with his silent landings. 

Of the three performances seen this run, I thought Celine Gittens was by far the most impressive Aurora.  Beatrice Parma did well too.  Did anyone else notice Gus Payne's bluebird outfit?  He gave the appearance of not wearing appropriate undies.  I saw him twice so it clearly wasn't an oversight...

Unfortunately in our excellent stalls seats at Sadler's Wells, we found ourselves next to a German woman who was so disappointed not to see Cojocaru that she complained bitterly about the rest of the cast, saying that Alina wouldn't have wanted to be part of such a dreadful production.  She hated the costumes but did admit the orchestra were good (I thought they were excellent, especially first violin.)  Then she went on to say how much better Hamburg ballet are.  I was outraged, and showed it as politely as I could.

During the performance I kept thinking how Tchaikovsky surely must have enjoyed composing the music, with so many contrasting dances.  I never get tired of listening to it and have been humming snatches of Sleeping Beauty for the last few weeks.

Finally, I would like to applaud the tireless Carlos Acosta for having breathed new life into a company that was already delightful to watch.  I feel a new energy flowing through them and am looking forward to seeing BRB again at every opportunity.

 

[JNC]

21 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

Unfortunately in our excellent stalls seats at Sadler's Wells, we found ourselves next to a German woman who was so disappointed not to see Cojocaru that she complained bitterly about the rest of the cast, saying that Alina wouldn't have wanted to be part of such a dreadful production.  She hated the costumes but did admit the orchestra were good (I thought they were excellent, especially first violin.)  Then she went on to say how much better Hamburg ballet are.  I was outraged, and showed it as politely as I could.

 

This is bad audience behaviour and incredibly rude. It's ok to not like something and share an opinion (if asked or once someone has experienced in their own terms) but I wouldn't say anything in the performance itself as we are all different and I wouldn't want to spoil others' enjoyment. Imagine if you were wearing a bright red dress you loved and someone said to you 'oh I hate red, no one suits it'...it's cruel and unnecessary.

 

If she was so annoyed about Cojocaru not dancing why did she still attend? Sounds like it would have been better for her to return her ticket so someone more appreciative could have gone! 

 

I too have had the music stuck in my head, I think it's my favourite ballet score. It's so well composed with each character/scene having a different flavour, but everything works well in harmony. It's also a score that stands strongly in its own right as a musical piece. 

 

[Tango Dancer]

3 hours ago, JNC said:

 

This is bad audience behaviour and incredibly rude. It's ok to not like something and share an opinion (if asked or once someone has experienced in their own terms) but I wouldn't say anything in the performance itself as we are all different and I wouldn't want to spoil others' enjoyment. Imagine if you were wearing a bright red dress you loved and someone said to you 'oh I hate red, no one suits it'...it's cruel and unnecessary.

 

If she was so annoyed about Cojocaru not dancing why did she still attend? Sounds like it would have been better for her to return her ticket so someone more appreciative could have gone! 

 

 

This so much.  I've booked for things before now to see a particular person and then not had them, that's just how it goes.  It's not the fault of the substitute and they need as much support as possible.  I mean sometimes you can be surprised by how good they are and enjoy what they bring if it's someone you're not regularly seeing.

[Emeralds]

Well, compared to a couple of Cojocaru's performances (over a very long career, it has to be emphasised, and not every show is going to be perfect) in the past when she was having a slightly off night, Kurihara gave a brilliant performance as her "sub" on Saturday night in comparison. Mind you, being the first night cast, Kurihara hardly counts as a sub!

 

Considering that she is still a first soloist and this was her first season dancing Aurora, she did extremely well. Beautiful accounts of all her variations, lyrical and warm in the pas de deux with the Prince (she had a wonderful partner in Lachlan Monaghan), she really portrayed the young princess beautifully.

 

By the way ballet regulars who miss the masterful control of pirouettes and balances that RB's James Hay (currently away recuperating after surgery) does so well- it's his signature.......Lachlan was demonstrating similar skills in his pirouettes in Acts 2 and 3- I've never seen him do that before and it was delightful, quite a find!  Pirouettes aside, he was also every inch the noble and chivalrous Prince, with an effortless soaring  jump.

 

In fact, anyone who spent the show obsessed about missing Cojocaru and failed to see the incredible talents in other roles as well - Beatrice Parma as Florine and Fairy of Temperament (in the variation popularly known as Finger variation), Lucy Waine in the first Prologue variation, Olivia Chang Clarke as the Fairy of Song - so many delights they missed out on.

 

Or as my fellow members have said, if that visitor missed Cojocaru so much, she should just have booked tickets for Hamburg Ballet or asked the box office to do an exchange of her ticket to Cojocaru's performances with London City Ballet. Actually if I had met this audience member I would have asked her if she did attend Cojocaru's  La Strada show at Sadler's Wells in January because the theatre wasn't heavily sold for that and Cojocaru and Kobborg's performances in La Strada were simply extraordinary (admittedly that's a completely different show but if she had been desperate to see Alina, Alina did dance at every performance of that show!)

 

Will write more about the matinee performance in due course, when I  have a bit more time. 

Edited April 30 by Emeralds

[maryrosesatonapin]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

Actually if I had met this audience member I would have asked her if she did attend Cojocaru's  La Strada show at Sadler's Wells in January because the theatre wasn't heavily sold for that and Cojocaru and Kobborg's performances in La Strada were simply extraordinary (admittedly that's a completely different show but if she had been desperate to see Alina, Alina did dance at every performance of that show!)

 

 

Actually she did say she had been to every performance of La Strada.  And that brought us to a better understanding, as we mutually enthused over the amazing performance of Kobborg (whom I admitted I had expected to have a less demanding role).  I agree with everything else you said

[Pulcinella]

13 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Do you mean the "strings" across the back?  I have seen these on many costumes over the years - they are to facilitate them being worn by more than one dancer who may all be different sizes.  Some of these costumes date back to the original production.

 

 

I recall being told at the time of the first performances of this production in Birmingham that the Lilac Fairy costume was so expensive to make that they only made one, which had to be shared by all the dancers taking the part of the Lilac Fairy. If this is still the original costume then I think it may have faded somewhat as I definitely remember it being much more of a pale lilac colour.

[alison]

I wonder if it may also be down to the change in lighting?  If companies have been moving over to LEDs, that will probably have "bleached" the colours.

 

And talking of lighting, they really do need to do something about the "dark" bits of the show - I could barely see Carabosse at times apart from the exposed skin at her neckline, and even less so her minions.

[FionaM]

@alison Thank you for mentioning the lighting and what can be seen, or not!
 

There is a related problem with costume colour choices.   I couldn’t see the movements of the Countess’ hands because she was wearing black gloves.  

And worse (Carlos Acosta should know better about this issue himself) is the dim lighting of Yasiel in the Dream scene.  His dark face and hands were lost.  (As so often happens with men in black tights against dark backgrounds and flooring.).  I thought it was quite gloomy with Lachlan, but at least the dim spotlight caught some of his face and hands, being lighter coloured.  

[alison]

The main problem from up on high was the dark boots - I struggled to see the feet ...

[Emeralds]

No problems with lighting or visibility from where I was sitting, but I think, as @FionaM has noted, that lighting should be adjusted when different dancers are  performing solos in key roles, especially if they have dark costumes/tights/footwear as well. I think it may also depend on where one sits, so hopefully for future runs the lighting can be checked at different parts of each auditorium prior to performances. 

 

With regards to the colour of the Lilac Fairy's dress, it's always been a light shade of lilac since I started seeing the production in the 1980s, which reflects much of the Lilac plant varietals commonly seen in the UK (as opposed to the more reddish colours used in the RB Lilac Fairy tutu, which isn't actually lilac in colour but more fuchsia and violet with sprays of lilac flowers on it). I did notice that at different points of the ballet and at different parts of set, the costume occasionally looked white or light green before going back to a pale lilac shade again. Not really an issue for me.  😊

 

Just a quick note to say what a stellar cast we had at the matinee treating us to a truly magical performance. Momoko Hirata was absolutely exquisite and a dream Aurora, who successfully combines the girlish charm with regal elegance of a young princess, and performed the balances and the rest of the Rose Adagio, the variations in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd acts with seemingly effortless virtuosity, musicality and artistry. (She held one balance so well that she didn't even need the prince's hand!)

 

Most of all, she remained in character throughout so that you didn't feel she was dancing a role with technical challenges but was simply telling the story in dance with effortless grace (and never tempted to look like it was showing off). If there was anything at all lacking, it was simply the unfortunate fact that she only had one performance at Sadler's Wells and that London audiences had to wait over a decade to see her. I do hope it won't take as long as 11 years for BRB's Sleeping Beauty to return to London and for us to see Hirata's Aurora again- for me, her Aurora ranks up there with the best that I've been fortunate to see: Nunez, Cojocaru, Vishneva,  Obraztsova, Yoshida. For those who missed Hirata's Aurora, I do recommend booking to see her Lise in La Fille mal gardée or Sugar Plum Fairy. 

 

There were many fine performances elsewhere in a very strong cast: Amelia Thompson as an expressive, precise Fairy of Temperament, a beautifully detailed portrayal as the Fairy of Song from Olivia Chang Clarke, a delicate yet precise Fairy of Modesty from Alisa Garkavenko and a charismatic Fairy of Honour from Tessa Hogge. Tori Forsyth-Hecken and Daria Stanciiulescu were both compelling as the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse respectively, and Kit Holder as the unfortunate Catalabutte  and Louis Andreasen as Gallison made their characters memorable, without descending into hammy acting.

 

It is particularly wonderful to see how strong the standard of dancing is now - a shout out to the men who danced the cavaliers in the Prologue and the Garland Dance in Act 1 for their spectacular and synchronised double tours that would make many companies envious. Peter Wright and Philip Prowse's magnificent production looks as gorgeous and vibrant at 40 years old as it did in the 80s, and remains one of the best Sleeping Beauty versions in the world today. Hope it will return again on tour way before its 50th birthday!

 

On another note, I see that this tour of Sleeping Beauty to London marks the end of the main company's season in Britain before they embark on international tours and BRB2 starts its small scale tour, if you don't count the one performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall on 29 May (same programme as the Evening of Music and Dance at Birmingham's Symphony Hall in March, different orchestra). Roll on autumn! 😀

 

[maryrosesatonapin]

35 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

For those who missed Hirata's Aurora, I do recommend booking to see her Lise in La Fille mal gardée or Sugar Plum Fairy. 

I would second this. And her Giselle is exquisite and heart-breaking, as well as dazzling.  She is my favourite BRB dancer.

[Emeralds]

@maryrosesatonapin, I loved her Giselle too! - with Cesar Morales as Albrecht and Samara Downs as Myrtha, at Sadler's Wells in 2019. They were a dream team! One of my favourite performances of all time. Ahhh....! 

[maryrosesatonapin]

6 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

@maryrosesatonapin, I loved her Giselle too! - with Cesar Morales as Albrecht and Samara Downs as Myrtha, at Sadler's Wells in 2019. They were a dream team! One of my favourite performances of all time. Ahhh....! 

Yes, this one!  I have never cried so much at any performance of anything.  Morales was perfect - I miss him so much. I bet Momoko misses him too.

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

the one performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall on 29 May (same programme as the Evening of Music and Dance at Birmingham's Symphony Hall in March, different orchestra).

 

Oh, I didn't realise they were repeating this in London. I wonder if it's likely to be the same dancers as in the Birmingham performance? I'm very tempted to see if I can possibly afford to squeeze it in as it looked like a really nice programme.