Pas de Quatre Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I went to see this in Poole at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were several performances and the one I went to was very full, lots of little girls and their parents - not many boys to be seen! As there was not a cast list for each show, it would be difficult to be certain which dancers were performing, even though there was a very nice informative programme with headshots of them all. So I will not say anything about individuals. The standard was very good, although definitely student rather than professional level, but some promising work. The story was explained by a narrator, who was an older Odette, recounting what had happened. This worked very well, particularly in the mime scenes. The scenery and costumes were sumptuous and all the production values very good. My only caveat is the way the story was a bit mangled. The girls going to the Prince's birthday party were just local girls - Odette and her friends This doesn't really make sense as Princes marry Princesses. In clever theatrical moves, Rothbart isolated the girls one at a time and transformed them into swans. Act 2 by the Lakeside is where I also feel it was wrong to change the story. The narrator kept saying that Siegfried was dancing with a swan, and falling in love with a swan - but in the original, Odette regains her human form at night, so he falls in love with a beautiful girl and at the end of the act she turns back into the swan. This was also carried through in Act 3 where it said that Rothbart changed Odile, his daughter, into a black swan with black feathers! Apart from that it was an excellent production and the audience seemed very appreciative. Do go if you can. Just a final lighthearted comment - in Act 3, to give the boys more to do, the Spanish Dance was for three boys. It was a bit sudden and when the queen announced, via the narrator "Let's have some Spanish Dancing" I couldn't help thinking "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 So, it has a happy ending, too? I suppose it would have to: you really can't start broaching the subject of suicide with 3-year-olds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 No, Rothbart fell to his death from rocks, at the back of the stage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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