Brilliant Gothic fantasy is no fairytale

Sleeping Beauty, Wales Millennium Centre

WITH the lights cut out, music that makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck and all a packed theatre auditorium can see is a chilling silhouette of a winged evil fairy, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty started as it meant to go on: passionate, tense and dark.

If any of the audience thought Matthew Bourne’s ballet was going to be a sweet depiction of the 1959 Disney film, then they should have taken a look at the programme and the sub-title “A Gothic Romance”.

New Adventures revived the classic to give audiences one more chance to see the final piece in their trio of Tchaikovsky masterpieces. The sudden darkness the audience were thrust into at the start was enough to put any adult wonder who, or what, was sitting around them, and combined with Tchaikovsky’s stunning score, it made for a chilling debut.

With some comedically-timed puppeteering to set the scene for the story giving the audience plenty of laughs, it soon became clear there is something very calming and cathartic about a production with no words: just fluid dance and a serene score.

Fairy tale this ballet certainly was not, with all the typical features of the Gothic genre evident to give both the scenario and feel of the tale a complete overhaul.

This version of the fairytale covers three eras from a Gothic Victorian 1890, through to Aurora’s 21st year, right through to the modern day when the princess wakes up after a 100 years.

Innocent fairies were juxtaposed with vampiric transformations, seemingly virginal protagonists left to decay in slumber for 100 years, ruined stately homes, power, death, and even a glimpse of female hysteria thrown in – right up any Gothic fan’s street. Added into the mix dazzling costumes and perfectlytimed routines, here was a showstopper.

Their opening night at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff is a triumphant credit to the art form of ballet, but is not one for small children.

Sleeping Beauty runs at the WMC until Saturday, April 30. Katie Sands Ticket information: Tickets: £17.50£35.50 (£19-£37*). Premium Packages** £42.50-£45.50 (£44-£47*) The winning numbers in last night’s Lotto main draw were

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