There’s something magical about seeing a very traditional production of classic Caucasian ballet, and this week the Royal Brighton Theater is hosting three of its best: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. Masu. I chose the latter. I’ve seen “Swan Lake” many times, but “The Nutcracker” is oddly disjointed, and while it has a lot of great songs, it’s very short sections interspersed with applause and polite bows to the audience. There were many. Sleeping Beauty is not fragmentary, but at the same time the story is quite short, but Tchaikovsky’s music is wonderful even when performed by a small touring orchestra, with a joyful and virtuosic violin sound all over the place. There was a moment when the moment came.
The production is very beautiful and stunning, with gorgeous costumes, heavily animated projected settings, and very effective lighting. And there’s nothing more fun than when the stage is filled with teams of fairies and courtiers performing regal ceremonies. There’s humor too, moments of whimsy and silliness, cats, wolves, country folk and royalty.
And there’s some excellence there, some really beautiful dancing from a truly international cast. However, the whole thing felt a little slow and lacked a sense of drive. There were points, though not always, where I wished there was a little more life in the orchestra and more energy on stage.
But the Raymond Gabay Company is taking classical ballet on tour, reaching parts of the country that larger, and in some cases state-funded, ballet companies can’t reach at all. All this seems trivial when you weigh the facts. The government claims it is rebalancing the arts to cover the UK, but Raymond Gabay’s company is actually doing just that. Classic works are often more affordable and available to a wider audience. It worked, last night the busy house was inhabited by people of all ages, from small children to…well, people my age and well beyond that, and it lasts for a long time. like!
Andrew Kay
20/2/24
theater royal brighton
evaluation: 
