Last night saw the first of three ballet performances at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, and set the tone for a wonderful week of dance. Cinderella started the run, leaving us with a playful feeling full of childhood memories and magical movement.
This production retold the much-loved story beautifully, including all the characters and references we expect to see, but also with some different interpretations that added additional interest. We met Cinderella in her household role, where her stepsisters (Agnes Di Dio Masa and Alba Barrasa) were extremely playful and demanding, and her stepmother (Roberta Pereira) wound everybody up. These characters continued to cause havoc throughout the piece, with some particularly impressive wigs in the second act, their antics expressed in a more vibrant dance form that still retained the quality of ballet dancing one might expect. In contrast, the fairy godmother (Pauline Faget) entered with her entourage on perfect points, bringing the more recognisable face of ballet to the stage. Her movement was delicate and controlled throughout the performance, and she led her troupe enthusiastically.
The set was cleverly created by using back-stage projections, which were animated throughout the evening, allowing the dancers to use the entire space to create the dance. This was most effective when the grand ball started, and the ensemble dancers created the scene. This was an elaborately choreographed farce, with ridiculous knitted costumes, comedy fruit and exaggerated movements, and for us, the highlight of the evening as they were so together and yet comic at the same time.
Undoubtedly, the biggest praise goes to the two leads. The Prince (Timofei Fedotov) arrived on stage with great presence. He could not only execute perfect moves, filling the entire stage with flight and drive, but he could also cast his emotions out to the audience to tell the story. His looks of derision and fear at the stepsisters’ advances to him were hilarious, and his tender looks to Cinderella as the story built were perfect.
Cinderella herself was played by Andrea Conforti, a slight dancer who appeared to move through the stage in a whisper. She grew the character, her dance moves building as the story evolved, and her partner’s work with the Prince was particularly special.
Great praise also goes to the ensemble, who were adaptable and busy throughout. The ominous black masked guards of time provided a sense of threat, and the scene as the pumpkin carriage departs was hilarious, with bumble bees having a fabulous time as they pranced forward.
The ballet was performed by Varna International Dance, who have taken residence in Brighton this week, delivering The Nutcracker and Swan Lake as well. This versatile group were joined by a 22-piece orchestra, filling the theatre with the complex and elaborate score. Particular note goes to the bassoon player who had some particularly tricky passages and held his tone throughout. The main focus was on the stage, but these unseen players added a huge amount to the performance.
This was a very accessible performance combining traditional ballet moves with more contemporary/modern steps to add interest. We felt the dancers were completely engaged throughout and determined to provide the best entertainment possible. If this is the standard for the other ballets to come, Brighton is in for a great week of dance.
Tickets for other ballets this week can be found at the Theatre Royal, Brighton.
