This version of Sleeping Beauty spans 120 years. The story involves a King and Queen who are without a child. Unhappy, they make a deal with an evil forest fairy called Carabosse. When they renege on a promise, the fairy curses the couple’s new baby daughter, Aurora. When the Princess reaches 21, she pricks her finger on a rose planted by the son of the evil fairy, called Caradoc. The magic contained within the rose sends the Aurora into a deep sleep.
Her lover, a young grounds man called Leo, is grief stricken. So that he can wait by Aurora’s side he is taken pity on by a vampire, who converts him. The story then continues to unfold, enlivened by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s music.
Elements of the story may be similar to the well-loved children’s story, and the music largely made up of Tchaikovsky’s 1890 opus 66; however, this is a very dark telling of the tale. To sum it up: magic, fairies, vampires, love and romance are each on offer.
The ballet has been written and directed by Matthew Bourne and produced by his New Adventures theater company. Bourne is known for his love of Gothic, and this was evident in his production of Edward Scissorhands, performed at Saddlers Wells last year and reviewed by Digital Journal.
In the program notes, Bourne describes how any connected with Disney’s interpretation of the fairy-tale was discarded. For this version, Bourne went back to two main texts: La Belle au bois dormant, by Charles Perrault (written in 1697), and Little Briar Rose (Dornröschen) by the Brothers Grimm. The name “Aurora” was first used by Tchaikovsky for his St. Petersburg’s ballet.
The darker take on the tale, which begins in 1890 and ends in the present day, is brought to live by expert dancers together with sumptuous sets and costumes and evocative lighting. One moment, during an outdoor party of the palace, has a fantastically lit sky which alters from afternoon, to dusk and then night time. Each lowering of the light, and move into blue and black colors, foretells a growing danger for the lead protagonist. The first half consists of two acts, one set in 1890 and the second in 1911.
In the second half of the performance, as time moves on to the present day, the sets are transformed into eerie forests and dim neon lit nightclubs.
The choreography is spot on, with a mix of classical ballet moves and some experimentation with contemporary moves.
The production of Sleeping Beauty is captivating and enthralling. It runs until mid-January 2016 in London and it is the show to catch. Digital Journal rating 5 out of 5.
