Theatre Review: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty - New Wimbledon Theatre ✭✭✭✭
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty
A
Gothic Romance
New Wimbledon Theatre
Review by Philippa Stubbs
New Adventures’s productions return to
the stage, with a tour of Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping
Beauty. After the success of Nutcracker!
and Swan Lake, director and
choreographer, Bourne felt he should “find a way of completing Tchaikovsky’s
trilogy of ballet masterworks some day” and he, alongside a strong creative
team, have produced a piece of dance-theatre that looks and feels captivating.
On the dance scene, Sleeping Beauty has
to be one of the most well-known ballets around with its familiar Tchaikovsky
melodies and waltzes. It’s a familiar fairytale with a happy ending of good
conquering evil but remove the ‘Disney effect’ and you are left with a story
that is much more interesting. The choice to begin the story in the Victorian
era and journey through the Edwardian period works well as after a hundred
years we are met with the current selfie-taking culture of modern society that
we can relate to.
Gothic influences from the set and costumes
(particularly the fairies) enhance the darker interpretation of the story and the
addition of a new character (Carbosse’s faithful son, Caradoc) creates more
compelling battle between good and evil.
Some effective puppetry meant that the
slow opening of Act One was a bit more appealing but things picked up once the
ensemble of fairies entered. The ensemble were really at their best in Act
Three during the deep sleep as they glided between trees aglow with fairy
lights.
Ashley Shaw danced the role of Princess
Aurora magnificently tonight. Every inch of her body exhibited perfect
technique and she was mesmerising to watch. She took Aurora on a journey and
each part was played with just the right fluidity and facial expression. Her performance
can be described as almost doll-like during her hundred year sleep. In
parallel, the evil Caradoc (Adam Maskell) and King of the Fairies, Count Lilac,
were danced strongly and with fitting characteristation and vamp(ire).
If you are one to usually avoid the ballet,
this production may be one to at least try as the design and focus on the
darker story make it both visually appealing and emotionally stimulating.
It definitely won’t send you to sleep!
4 stars ✭✭✭✭
For more info and tour dates please visit
