Ballet Theatre UK; The Little Mermaid

[Terpsichore]

I look forward to seeing this show in Southport on the 26.

 

As Southport is just up the road from Liverpool I wonder whether JanetMcNuty plans to see it.

 

I have heard good things of this company and I;ll let you know whether it lives up to expectations..

[hfbrew]

Well if anyone else is up North, they are in Keswick, Thursday 24th, Runcorn Friday 25th and Blackpool on 27th!

 

Cast for Southport is Sarah Mortimer as mermaid (the beautiful mermaid on the poster) , Luca Verone as the prince,Jessica Hill as sea witch and Natalie Cawte as princess.

[Jan McNulty]

Oh woe is me, I am down South this coming weekend or I would be there!

[Terpsichore]

Well if anyone else is up North, they are in Keswick, Thursday 24th, Runcorn Friday 25th and Blackpool on 27th!

 

Cast for Southport is Sarah Mortimer as mermaid (the beautiful mermaid on the poster) , Luca Verone as the prince,Jessica Hill as sea witch and Natalie Cawte as princess.

 

Many thanks for that information because it enables me to write a proper review for my blog. Why they don't distribute a cast list beats me

 

I loved tonight's performance and I think I have fallen a little bit in love with Ballet Theatre UK.

 

First it was a good story. I saw parallels with Swan Lake. A young prince who has reached the age when he was expected to marry. He takes himself away not to a lake this time but to sea where he meets not a swan but a mermaid. As in Swan Lake the Prince marries another. His decision subjects the mermaid to the spell of a sorceress. Having said that, there are plenty of differences between Hans Christian Andersen's story and Swan Lake.

 

There are some delightful divertissements in Act I. I love the sea shanties some of which I recognized from the last night of the proms. I also recognized "When the Boat comes in". And there is a tune gyrating in my brain that I heard countless times on Uncle Mac's Children's Favourites that I am struggling to name.

 

There's some humour.  Sarah Mortimer struggled and grimaced as she was bathed - just like my mother's border terrier when we had to bath him. But there was mainly pathos. Particularly towards the end when the mermaid is offered a chance to live if she will only kill the man who refused to marry her.  

 

Mortimer is a lovely dancer and also something of an actress. I see that she trained at Ballet West as were several members of the company. Gillian Barton should be proud of her.  I was also impressed by Natalie Cawle as the princess, Luca Verone as the prince and Jessica Hill as the sea witch.

 

I want to see this company whenever it is in the North. I look forward to seeing the other artists.  I shall follow their careers with considerable interest.

Edited April 26, 2014 by terpsichore

[hfbrew]

Thank you for a lovely review.

 

Ds and I also bemoan the lack of cast list, it would be so simple to get the theatre to run off a few to put with the programmes. Or do as they do for Les Miserables in London and have one big notice in foyer.

 

For anyone going to todays Matinee at Blackpool, Helena Casado Cortes is Mermaid, David Brewer Prince and Ines Ferreira, Princess.

 

Edited to add Claire Corruble as witch!

Edited April 27, 2014 by hfbrew

[aileen]

Can I ask: are the company members employed on yearly contracts and do they move onto other companies?

[Anna C]

Can I ask: are the company members employed on yearly contracts and do they move onto other companies?

Asking about the dancers' contracts is quite a personal question, aileen. I would be surprised if any dancer would publicise the length of their contract on a public forum!

 

With regards to movement between companies, I am sure there is some movement just as there is in any company in the world. Dancers move around for any number of reasons. BTUK certainly seems to look after its dancers though.

[aileen]

What I was getting at, but didn't express it very well, was whether BTUK operates in the same way as NEBT (or how I understand that company operates) which is that young dancers are taken on for a year or two to give them their first professional experience after which it is hoped that they will gain employment with other companies. My understanding of NEBT (and, again, I may be wrong about this) is that it provides a sort of apprenticeship for young dancers and that the dancers are not employed long term. I'll have a look at BTUK's website.

[Anna C]

Ah, I see what you mean. As far as I know, BTUK is not run in that way. Without looking at the Bios (I'm using my phone) I'm sure that the majority of BTUK's dancers have been with them for quite some time.

[Terpsichore]

Yesterday evening I saw Ballet Theatre UK ("BTUK") dance The Little Mermaid at The Atkinson in Southport. This was the first time I had seen BTUK and my first visit to The Atkinson and i was impressed with both. I left the theatre on a high (as I expect to do) eager to see more of both.

BTUK is no ordinary company. It has a punishing schedule.  Before coming to Southport it had danced a matinee and evening at Dunstable on the 22 April, an evening show at Tamworth on the 23, a matinee and evening at Keswick on the 24 and an evening at Runcorn on the 26. Today it crosses the Ribble to Blackpool and on 1 May it comes to Rotherham and then on Peterborough on the 2. I counted over 66 different venues throughout the British Isles.  This show has quite elaborate scenery and props and sumptuous costumes. Bearing in mind that the dancers must find time for company classes, rehearsing their next production, eating and drinking, some kind of family and social life as well as travelling, I take my hat off to them. An hour's class alone takes it out of me. Admittedly I am a lot older than the dancers and very new to ballet but a couple of hours on stage is still hard work requiring considerable concentration and stamina even for a young man or woman with years of training.

The company is also remarkable in that it has an extensive repertoire choreographed largely by its artistic director Christopher Moore. These include an Aladdin but not David Bintley's, A Christmas Carol but not Christopher Gable's, an Alice in Wonderland but not Christopher Wheeldon's as well as old favourites such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.  I googled Christopher Moore but all I could find was the blurb on BTUK's website stating that he had trained at Tring and had danced professionally all over the world in many different productions.  Clearly, the company is ambitious.  It has established a school in Hinckley with Daria Klimentova as its patron and, according to its website, its guest tutor.  In many ways BTUK reminds me of the London Festival Ballet in the 1960s when I first took an interest in ballet.  I think BTUK is going places and I am not just referring to the tour schedule.

Yesterday's performance was lovely. First, it was a good story based closely on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale. In the programme Christopher Moore wrote that on the first day in the studio the company faced two rather large challenges one of which was whether to stick with the original ender or whether to go for the happy ending as in the Disney Film.   In the end after much deliberation Moore and the company chose to stick with the original and I think that they were right to do so because it made for a much more interesting story and gave the character of the little mermaid some depth.

Having lost out on one Faustian pact with the sea witch she was offered another. The first agreement allowed her to come on shore with legs but on condition that she should marry the prince whose life she had saved.   The downside was that she would perish if he married another. The terms of the other pact were that she could return to the sea as a mermaid so long as she killed the prince.

Now that presented the mermaid with an interesting moral dilemma.  At least some of the audience would urge her to accept the offer and kill the prince in order to save herself.  Some would  say that the prince had it coming fto him or his ingratitude to the one who had rescued him. However, she decided to sacrifice her life in order that he might live. As Hans Christian Andersen tells us that mermaids do not believe in an after life, accepting instant annihilation in order to do the right thing is  even more of a sacrifice than it would have been for a human,

Secondly, the ballet had a very good score. I don't know how much of it was original. I recognized the Geordie ditty about a little fishy when the boat comes in as well as some sea shanties from the last night of the proms and an ear worm that was never off Uncle Mac's Children's Favourites in the 1950s but which I can't for the life of me remember.   It all fitted together very well indeed and I found myself humming bits of it to myself on the long drive back from Southport.

I have already mentioned the scenery, props and costumes which was yet another aspect of the ballet that I liked.  Comparisons are odious and I have already cut out lots of references to The Winter's Tale but lengths of fabric have far more in common with waves than large land mammals.  After being hauled half way round the kingdom and back one would expect the sea backdrop and the wedding dresses to look a bit tired by now but they were still fresh. And they really wowed the audience.

However, it was the dancing that I really loved.  Now that there is a very remote possibility that I may perform in public at the end of June I am treating every ballet performance as an extra lesson.  In this lesson I learnt a lot about port de bras.  That is the most appealing aspect of Moore's choreography. There was drama as the mermaid painfully discovered her legs and was forcibly accustomed to human ways, How she grimaced and struggled in the bath, especially as the soles of her soles were scrubbed. All that added yet another dimensions to the ballet. How do people born without legs get used to them and begin to walk?

The programme came without a cast list and that was my only gripe of the evening. I asked a gentlemen in a BTUK tee shirt who was selling programmes where I could get one.
"Oh we never give them out" he replied.
"But I want to review this show for my blog," said I.   "Can you tell me who danced tonight?"
"Was the mermaid blonde or brunette?" the programmer enquired.
"Brunette, I think but under the lights with all that makeup ......"
"Oh it must have been Sarah" he said.
I looked at my programme and it did indeed look like Sarah Mortimer: but it was not until I returned home and looked up Hfbrew's post on BalletcoForum that I could be sure.  According to Hfbrew the cast was as follows:
 
  "Sarah Mortimer as mermaid (the beautiful mermaid on the poster) , Luca Verone as the prince,Jessica Hill as sea witch and Natalie Cawte as princess."

 

All of them danced well as indeed did the whole cast."

When looking up Sarah Mortimer I noticed that she had trained at Ballet West in Taynuilt near Oban. I know a little bit about the school having seen its pupils and teachers perform ]"The Nutcracker" and Swan Lake. I have also visited the village in which it is located and rejoiced at its success in the Genée. I was delighted to see that nit just Mortimer but also Joseph Mackie-Groves and Charlotte Eades studied at Ballet West. I am delighted that students of that school who are hundreds of miles from Floral Street, Tring, Birmingham, Leeds and even Glasgow are establishing themselves in their careers. I wish them and indeed all the dancers from every other ballet school and company every success.

Finally, I should like to say a word or two about Southport in general and the Atkinson in particular. Southport is a town that I should know better than I do because my father was born there. Apart from two forays to its county court when I was starting out at the Bar and one weekend at a party conference when I was on the committee of the party's lawyers' association I have never had much to do with the town. That is a pity because it has an excellent fish restaurant, the smallest pub in England, a lawnmower museum, an elegant thoroughfare called Lord Street (happily being restored to its Edwardian glory), a dance shop called Centre Stage and a magnificent arts complex all collectively known as "The Atkinson" of which the theatre forms part. The best thing about The Atkinson is that it has pictures and exhibits to admire during the interval as it is an art gallery, museum and library as well as a theatre.

Yesterday the theatre seemed to be packed. There was barely an empty seat in the house. We started at the slightly unusual time of 18:00 which worked out very well.  Dining in time for a 19:30 start really is a little too early for most folk and after 22:00 (always supposing restaurants are open at that time) is a little too late.  An early start meant that the show finished at a reasonable time for supper. It was not too late for young children  - of which there were many - and it allowed me to navigate the somewhat, twisty roads of rural Lancashire in daylight.  Maybe other companies and theatres should try an 18:00 start if they can. 

Edited April 27, 2014 by terpsichore

[hfbrew]

Wow Terpsichore, you ve made me want to visit Southport now!

 

And thank you for taking such time and thought into your excellent post.

 

I saw both shows in Dunstable by the way and they were excellent, especially the evening.

 

Ds has just texted to say they got back from Blackpool just half an hour ago and he will read your post before going to sleep! You are right, this is no ordinary company.All the dancers perform every performance and they even help load and unload the van! They really do know the meaning of hard work.

 

I am so glad you enjoyed the performance. And thank you also for putting names to some of the tunes that I couldnt quite remember!

[Terpsichore]

..................................................

 

And thank you for taking such time and thought into your excellent post.

 

I saw both shows in Dunstable by the way and they were excellent, especially the evening.

 

Ds has just texted to say they got back from Blackpool just half an hour ago and he will read your post before going to sleep! You are right, this is no ordinary company.All the dancers perform every performance and they even help load and unload the van! They really do know the meaning of hard work.

 

I am so glad you enjoyed the performance. And thank you also for putting names to some of the tunes that I couldnt quite remember!

 

It is I who have to thank you for giving me the names of the dancers so that I could write a proper review.  I really do think this is a good meaty ballet and I hope it stays in the repertoire. Indeed I hope other companies develop it.

 

I do hope your lad likes the review and I wish him every success in his career

 

He may be interested to know that the young woman sitting  next to me  was bowled over by yesterday's show,   She told me that she had only begun to take an interest in ballet.. I asked her whether she had ever studied any ballet when she was growing up.   She replied that she had not and that she wished she had.  I told her that it is never too late to learn and that I was taking the old ladies' class at Northern Ballet Academy. She replied that I was so lucky to live near Northern Ballet but that there was nothing like that in Southport.  I told her that there would almost certainly be an adult ballet class in Southport or at least Liverpool or Preston and if she could get to Manchester there would be more classes there than she could shake a stick at.  I directed her to the RAD website and Northwest Dance.

 

I told her that I kept a blog called Terpsichore and gave her the URL.   I told her that I would write a little article about learning as an adult which might encourage her to try her luck.   I told her about this forum and in particular the "Doing Dance" section.   I told her all about the regulars here.   I told her about my favourite blogs, Dave Tries Ballet" and "Adult Beginner".

 

We also talked about the companies that she can see soon such as the wonderful Ballet Black which will be in Southport next month and the regular visits to Liverpool and Manchester by Birmingham, English National, Northern and other ballet companies.

 

All this came from one performance.  Your lad is helping to make a lot of people very happy - me included.

[hfbrew]

 

 

All this came from one performance.  Your lad is helping to make a lot of people very happy - me included.

 

So good to hear because this is one of the reasons he has chosen to remain with the company for now. He really believes in Btuks mission to take Ballet back out to audiences that see very little, if any in their home areas. I remember one theatre where the audience clapped after the first parade came on for Sleeping Beauty, they were so overwhelmed by the beautiful costumes! The dancers hadnt danced a step.

 

If the lady you met does indeed get to lessons or another performance then its a job well done indeed!

[hfbrew]

The company tour Ireland next week but sadly many of the venues are very undersold.

 

Doesnt help that some venues list it as childrens dance thus putting off serious adult ballet goers and then as seems to be normal in Ireland, shows start at 8pm and so are too late for most children anyway!

 

So if any ballet.coers live over the water or know someone who does please ask them to go and support these hard working dancers. Tour dates on BalletTheatreUK.com.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

A non young person (17) I know but who enjoys theatre has just posted on Facebook that its coming to not quite our local theatre but one not too far away during half term & she wants someone to go with.

 

Must be a new venue on the tour? I didn't know she liked ballet so good it's appealing to new audiences

[Lisa O`Brien]

Hfbrew, I really wanted to go and see this production,but i`m afraid i just can`t afford it at the moment. I live in Newry,and our nearest "proper theatre" where ballet is performed is the Marketplace Theatre in Armagh City. Now the tickets were reasonably priced enough. But i don`t have a car. I went to see Moscow Ballet La Classique in Swan Lake at Armagh a few years ago and  the whole evening cost me a small fortune. Where I live the last bus to Armagh is at about 5.00 pm which is far too early. I got this bus for Swan Lake, then had to hang around Armagh for hours, and everywhere was closed, until the performance. I was worn out before it started. I had to get a taxi home,which cost me £30. So what with the cost of the ticket,having to eat while I was in Armagh as I was starving having left so early,then a taxi home it turned into quite an expensive evening. It`s such a shame Newry,which was granted City Status,does not have its own theatre. The only other alternative is Belfast`s Grand Opera House ,which is 50 miles away.One of the things I miss about not living in Manchester anymore. No decent theatre on our doorstep.

[hfbrew]

Hfbrew, I really wanted to go and see this production,but i`m afraid i just can`t afford it at the moment. I live in Newry,and our nearest "proper theatre" where ballet is performed is the Marketplace Theatre in Armagh City. Now the tickets were reasonably priced enough. But i don`t have a car. I went to see Moscow Ballet La Classique in Swan Lake at Armagh a few years ago and  the whole evening cost me a small fortune. Where I live the last bus to Armagh is at about 5.00 pm which is far too early. I got this bus for Swan Lake, then had to hang around Armagh for hours, and everywhere was closed, until the performance. I was worn out before it started. I had to get a taxi home,which cost me £30. So what with the cost of the ticket,having to eat while I was in Armagh as I was starving having left so early,then a taxi home it turned into quite an expensive evening. It`s such a shame Newry,which was granted City Status,does not have its own theatre. The only other alternative is Belfast`s Grand Opera House ,which is 50 miles away.One of the things I miss about not living in Manchester anymore. No decent theatre on our doorstep.

Thats such a shame, especially about the transport links. I am so lucky that where I live we have very good services to London, its just my teaching schedule that prevents me from seeing more Ballet. How I wish I could have nipped over the other night and taken you!

[hfbrew]

A non young person (17) I know but who enjoys theatre has just posted on Facebook that its coming to not quite our local theatre but one not too far away during half term & she wants someone to go with.

Must be a new venue on the tour? I didn't know she liked ballet so good it's appealing to new audiences

If you let me know date and venue I can let you know casting!

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Crewe Lyceum

[IBD23]

We are going to see them in Margate 25 May half term (with Granny). Not seen Btuk before, but looking forward to it!

[hfbrew]

Cast for both Crewe and Margate as follows,

 

Mermaid Helena Casado-Cortes

Prince David Brewer

Witch Claire Corruble

Princess Ines Ferreira

 

Enjoy!

Edited May 14, 2014 by hfbrew

[hfbrew]

A late booking for Ballet Theatre UK.

 

Brighton Dome has invited them back to perform Little Mermaid.

 

Sunday 29th June 3pm. Casting not known at present. Tickets are available from the Brighton Dome website.

 

Damn and botheration that I am conducting mock exams that day!

[Picturesinthefirelight]

a few of my local friends have shared the link on Facebook.

[Janice]

Going to see this with Dd tonight in Taunton. Hfbrew would love to know the casting for this.

[hfbrew]

David Brewer Prince

Jess Hill Mermaid

Claire Corruble Witch

Ines Ferreira Princess

 

Hope you enjoy it, am jealous because when I saw this particular cast I felt it the best of the run that Id seen.

Ds has relatives going who have never seen Ballet before!

[Janice]

Thank you I sure we will love it .

[Janice]

Just back from a very enjoyable evening. Thought the mermaid and the prince of course were excellent.

Hfbrew we met your Ds's relatives as they were sat behind us and we got chatting, they are lovely people.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

By the look of it I'd better get booked for Crewe to get decent seats.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Well we are just having a pre theatre meal nearby. Dd is excited to be watching tonight. Don't think ill be reviewing as it will expose my appalling knowledge of ballet!!!

[Lehcar28]

Well it was a last minute decision but I am so glad that I was able to see the show tonight, it was fabulous. Loved every minute of it. Not so impressed with the late comers but that is another thread!

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Front row of circle right in the middle?

[Lehcar28]

No I was in the stalls Row E. Five people arrived late , two for our row and three for the one in front.

[Anna C]

BTUK came to our local theatre last night and I do hope very much that they return again. They had sold a decent number of tickets for a first visit, so I hope that word spreads and even more people attend next time.

 

What a lovely ballet. Nice choice of music and I really liked the choreography; very clever and effective in moving the Mermaid around the stage before she got her legs. Christopher Moore's clever choreo (and some lightning fast costume changes) really made the most of all the dancers. Although it must be extremely hard work being a company of 12 dancers, I thought how lovely it must be to all get a crack at the lead roles; far less scope for boredom.

 

In particular, the ladies of BTUK showed really lovely classical technique; Sarah Mortimer used her arms and hands particularly beautifully. Helena Casado Cortes' Mermaid and Ines Ferreira's Princess were both beautiful; they really complemented each other so well and had excellent technique. Both had wonderful chemistry with David Brewer's beautifully danced and very well acted Prince. I'm often tempted to see the Prince as a bit of a fickle wimp in the story, but David Brewer's lovely acting showed how torn the Prince is, and his anguish at having to reject the Mermaid in favour of his bride was really convincing. Dd and I both said afterwards that we really felt for the Princess too, as Ines Ferreira's acting and dancing were so lovely and made the Princess a real and sympathetic character.

 

I think my favourite moment was the bathtub scene which was delightfully reminiscent for me of My Fair Lady. So funny seeing the Mermaid's alarm and squirming reluctance to be scrubbed, and the distaste and impatience of the maids.

 

Have to mention the smallest maid - in the absence of a cast list (why??) I believe it was Julia Davies - a bundle of sparky energy and her projection and acting were really super.

 

We were home by 10pm which is a bonus so I really hope that BTUK come back to Hertford next year.