Simply wizard!
NORTHERN BALLET: MERLIN THEATRE ROYAL
NORTHERN Ballet’s Merlin is an epic piece of storytelling which glows, pulsates and frequently explodes with energy. Drew Mconie’s creation received not only its world premiere in Nottingham on Saturday but also one of the longest, most ecstatic standing ovations I can remember.
The ballet is one of those rare shows where each element is a vital part of the whole – choreography, music, set, costumes, lighting (I could go on…) as essential as any organ to a living human body.
When the ballet’s story is written down, it sounds hopelessly complicated, fragmented and frankly incredible. But this just demonstrates that the plot, earthbound on paper, takes wing through dance.
Merlin is remarkable not only for its spectacular set-pieces but also for its fluidity, one scene melting into the next, the dancers’ bodies shifting from one emotional extreme to another with an ease and speed which frequently takes the breath away. If your idea of Merlin is of an eccentric old wizard sporting a blue pointy hat and singing Higitus Figitus, you may be in for a shock. This Merlin (spectacularly danced by Kevin Poeung) is 18, fatherless, vulnerable, searching for identity, love and purpose. He becomes a soldier, struggles with his magic powers, is torn between good and evil, almost destroys himself through romantic infatuation, goes to prison, tames a dragon, and eventually has a very big choice to make about who he wants to be.
The atmosphere is a mixture of Game Of Thrones, The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter with a bit of Wagner and much else thrown in. And yet it’s always itself. Grant Olding’s original score is a great addition to the ballet music repertoire. His feeling for the music’s colour and texture is as detailed and thoughtful as his ability to match music to movement.
Northern Ballet’s Merlin received its world premiere in Nottingham on Saturday
Conductor Jonathan Lo ensured that the Northern Ballet Sinfonia played like angels.
Colour is important in this production as both symbol (gold and green especially) and as a means of engaging and often startling the eyes. The blacksmith’s forge in the opening scene is given impressive realism and the special effects department have done wonders with magic flowers, red-hot metal and burning trees. And this familyorientated show has some wonderful puppets (à la War Horse), bound to please the young-at-heart in the audience.
There are equal numbers of Male and Female Warriors who dance with power and precision whether as Knights of the Round Table or as soldiers in the Solar Kingdom’s Army. Gender is clearly an important issue for Mconie and his ballet is full of strong, vital, romantic, complex and multi-layered women who are at least a match for their male counterparts.
It must be thrilling to create a role in a new ballet. Kevin Poeung’s Merlin, Antoinette Brooks-daw’s Morgan, Minju Kang’s Blacksmith all seem to defy gravity. Among other outstanding artists are Lorenzo Trossello (Uther), Rachael Gillespie (Ygraine), Javier Torres (Vortigern) Abigail Prudames (Lady of the Lake) and Greig Matthews (Helios).
Merlin is a ballet about family and for families. It doesn’t shy away from passion and violence but its world of magicians, fairies, princesses, warriors and dragons, combined with its superlative dancers, haunting score, colourful sets and costumes - and Mconie’s thrilling, deeply thoughtful choreography surely give it the widest appeal.
Not to be missed.