Moscow City Ballet’s show is a beauty
The Sleeping Beauty ballet makes great demands on a company because of its length and the number of performers, apart from the lead dancers, who have to show their individual skills. The Moscow City Ballet, (Bord Gáis Theatre, HHHH), who were here this week, delivered the goods in a presentation that was artistically, visually and technically brilliant. They’re particularly good at complementing the dancing with mime, facial and hand gestures to spell out the story, something you don’t always get from dancers. And, of course, the performance needs, and provided, four impeccable performers to carry the roles of the young Princess Aurora, the villainous Carabosse who puts a curse on her, the Lilac Fairy who intervenes to save her, and the young prince who brings her back from her 100-year sleep; not to mention half a dozen important minor roles, a fine assortment of courtiers, fairies and Carabosse’s nasty band of uglies from the ballet corps. Valeriya Kruglova was a delightful Aurora as she went through the whole gamut of prima ballerina moves, alone, with her suitors or with Prince Florimund (a splendidly regal and graceful Dzmitry Lazovik). The Rose adagio with the suitors is a tense nail-biter, demanding great coordination, but it was carried it off beautifully, and the finale showed the whole company at their graceful best. On the villainous side, Kiril Kasatkin as Carabosse, moved gracefully and malignantly in a voluminous costume, scowling, intimidating and generally being beastly. The elaborate costuming and colourful scenery were features of the show. The accompaniment by the Hungarian Sinfonietta Orchestra provided good tone from the string and woodwind sections, but there were occasional raucous entries from the various brass sections, although they mellowed during the evening.
Dublin’s Gate Theatre moves into musical territory for the next few weeks with the show Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris, a tribute using over 20 of the poignant, passionate songs of the Belgian singer/songwriter who alas is no longer either well or alive, having died some 39 years ago.