Taking the beloved tale back to its Gothic roots, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty brings together magic and terror in a spellbinding production. The incredibly fluid and creative choreography, the impressive set and the beautiful costumes are all tied together by Tchaikovsky’s wonderful score.
An interesting yet effective use of puppetry dominates the production’s prologue as baby Aurora takes centre stage, hilarity ensuing as the cast manages to recreate what dealing with a toddler is like. The puppet steals the scenes and interacts with everyone onstage, which brought roars of laughter to the audience. We are shortly introduced to the group of fairies that protect Aurora – a magical sequence duly interrupted by the dark fairy Carabosse, which becomes rather terrifying when an adult Aurora is presented without a face. Bourne certainly has a knack for quickly switching the tone of a scene – one minute you’re watching a beautiful dreamlike sequence, and the next people with no faces dance with a dark fairy.
The principal dancers are nothing short of spectacular. Ashley Shaw, a longtime New Adventures dancer, is the perfect adult Aurora, giving the character a cheeky personality while still dancing with pure elegance. Aurora’s love interest Leo, played by Andrew Monaghan, is a standout, as is the intensity of Paris Fitzpatrick’s portrayal of Count Lilac, king of the fairies. Every cast member was oozing with talent, each of them performing brilliantly.
A notable component of Bourne’s production is the lack of gendered dance moves. In ballet, tradition has it that male and female dancers are given different steps, yet Bourne abolishes this with the ensemble’s movements. In a time where ballet is evolving, Matthew Bourne makes the art accessible to new audiences as well as cast members – a vital staple of the contemporary dance canon, I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next.
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tue 31 Jan.
On until Sat 4 Feb. Tickets: £18-£55. Info: here
words RHIANNON FARR
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