Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 25-28 January 2012

IT’S VERY difficult to imagine that any production would sell out Eden Court’s Empire Theatre on a cold Wednesday evening at the end of January, other than Scottish Ballet’s annual seasonal performance.

THEY returned to The Sleeping Beauty this year, and while Scottish Ballet’s narrative winter season productions now almost seem as traditional as the Christmas pantomime, Ashley Page’s masterful choreography makes sure that nothing feels at all monotonous. From the dancers themselves, it would be cruel to select a star, as each company member fulfils their role with such a gratifying level of devotion that there are no ‘minor’ roles – the role of a valet is danced with as much conviction as the part of a prince.

Scottish Ballet's production of The Sleeping Beauty

The classic story is told with a kind of tongue-in-cheek lucidity, with all the dark and ridiculous elements on full show. As the prince wanders the Enchanted Forest searching for True Love (both terms, in the world of fairy tales, merit capitalization), he encounters Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Snow White, all in search of their own Happy Ending.

This leads to not only some of the finest moments of choreography, but also of Michelle May’s costume design: when the fairy tale characters are brought to the ball after Princess Aurora’s awakening, their standard costumes are transformed into post-war flights of improbable fantasy. Indeed, the bypassing of a hundred years of history does lend itself well to a fairytale ballet: the Depression, two World Wars and a handful of bloody revolutions are all slept through blissfully, leaving the characters to wake up to a brand new world unscathed.

However, the hint of the subversive is ever present in the form of the wicked fairy Carabosse and her two mutant daughters, Sophie Laplane, Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Laura Kinross respectively, with fantastically repulsive costumes that are evil and menacing enough to perhaps leave some younger members of the audience with nightmares. Laplane is satisfyingly awful to watch as a she revels in the role of a sadistic villain intent on ruining the royal family’s happiness.

While most of the production is extensively modern, the effect of Tchaikovsky’s original score, along with Page’s respectful inclusion of some of Marius Pepita’s original choreography, means that one pied is left firmly in the realm of classical ballet. Similarly, Antony McDonald’s design lifts scenes straight from a fairy story and takes them into the realm of a Tim Burton-like twisted fantasy.

Likewise, Page is credited with transforming Scottish Ballet into the dynamic and world-leading company that it is today, and his talent truly comes into its own when revamping classic fairy tales such as The Sleeping Beauty into fresh and relevant pieces of work. Scottish Ballet has announced that Page will not renew his tenure upon completion of his contract in August 2012. What kind of direction will Scottish Ballet sail in without the captain at the helm? We’ll all have to attend next January to find out [or perhaps the one after – it’ll most likely be a revived Page production for the 2013 festivities -Ed.].

© Rowan Macfie, 2012

Links

• Scottish Ballet