Enter a supernatural world of magical fairies and vampires with Matthew Bourne’s 10th anniversary tour of Sleeping Beauty – A Gothic Romance
This timeless classic fairytale is brought to life through the beauty of ballet, telling us through the power of dance the story of unending, enduring love. Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, Bourne’s beautifully crafted ballet takes the essence of the original story and mixes it up with a modern-day twist and turns good and evil on its head.
Princess meets gamekeeper in this evocative love story which centres on characters Aurora (played by Ashley Shaw) and Leo (Andrew Monaghan). While Aurora is cursed to sleep for 100 years, locked in a supernatural world of fairies and vampires, Leo unerringly seeks his love. This intricately woven storyline is brought to life by the New Adventures dance-theatre company, Tchaikovsky’s music and Lez Brotherston’s sumptuous costumes.
While the stunning scenery, with ingenious scene changes, gives depth and perspective to this powerfully evocative performance and beautifully frames the unspoken narrative. Oodles of choreography are packed into this stellar show – one of the highlights are Shaw’s beautifully and delicately performed sleep scenes.
A tale of contrasts – such as wealth and poverty; good and evil – you will be captivated from the dramatic opening scene, laugh at the touches of humour interspersed, particularly at the precocious ‘baby’ sending her attendants into a spin, in the opening act, and be beguiled by the good and evil fairies.
There is something magical and moving about watching and connecting with an unspoken story through the beauty of dance. I was hooked from the beginning, as was the rest of the packed theatre – a truly brilliant performance.