Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
I am the first to admit that I know nothing about dance. I watch plays regularly but not once have I set foot in a theatre to see dance, much less ballet. Nevertheless, ‘Matthew Bourne’ was a name I was familiar with, renowned as an innovator; his recent works include Edward Scissorhands and Dorian Gray. Whilst I was waiting for the curtain to rise for Act One I had no idea what to expect. I was not disappointed.
Cinderella takes the classic fairytale and sets it in the London Blitz. Cinderella (Kerry Biggin) is the beleaguered stepsister of a grand brood of middle-class enfant terribles and stepdaughter to serpentine opportunist, Sybil. Harry (Sam Archer), a wounded RAF pilot, is the Prince Charming figure; and he is charming, it is difficult to imagine even one person failing to fall for him. Cinderella sees the eponymous character searching for her love through the crumbling city amidst exploding bombs and deafening air raid sirens.
Lez Brotherston’s designs are marvellous, blending blitzed London with the glitz of 1940’s Hollywood. The sets grow in colour, glamour and complexity, gliding seamlessly between dance halls, the London Underground and labyrinthine hospital wards amongst other locations. No expense has been spared (obvious in instances such as a vintage motorcycle and sidecar riding on stage for no longer than a minute’s duration). I for one, was thankful for such extravagance. It was also refreshing to not be confronted by an onslaught of leotard-clad dancers as I expected I would be. The costume was wonderful, historically accurate, and indistinguishable from that of a play, often complementing the grace of the dancers.
The dancing itself was impressive; the ballet gleefully intermingled with 1940’s dance hall moves. What was more astounding was the physical innovation. Cinderella’s fantasy sequence in which she waltzes with a mannequin which transforms into Harry is particularly worthy of applause. Archer’s physicality is a marvel to watch, even causing one member of our party to remark that she “couldn’t tell if he was a dummy or not”. Another standout moment occurs at the end of a hard night out on the town. The inebriated ensemble hilariously muddle their way through an energetic routine and keep perfect time whilst flawlessly appearing three sheets to the wind. There are often moments which powerfully demonstrate the ability of the ensemble. The Angel’s control over Cinderella and the rewinding of the bombed dance hall not only display remarkable creative vision but impressive physical capability.
During the first act, it was very difficult to find the focus onstage. Of course, in a play you generally focus on the speaker, in ballet this isn’t possible. The first scene felt too busy to help the uninitiated audience member ease into the performance. It became frustrating to hear members of the audience giggling at something you had not seen as you were concentrating on a different character. The characters were brilliant but I fear the Chaplinesque style of every dancer may have hidden important narrative development amongst fleeting gags. Fortunately, this busyness petered out quickly. My second issue is the perplexing use of the gauze which masked the stage during intervals and provided a screen on which to project. The gauze was invariably left down for the first dance of each act which was extremely irritating; it served no purpose and could be removed easily.
However, these are small issues in the face of the overall performance. There is one dance in particular that is the pinnacle of the whole ballet. Whilst ordinarily the narrative peaks on the meeting of the lovers, Bourne places it on a duet between them which takes place in Cinderella’s Act Two dream sequence. After the infamous transformation, Cinderella and Harry dance at the fated Café de Paris and escape to his humble lodgings to spend the night together. The duet takes place the morning after. Basking in golden light; the pair sleepily glide across the floor, performing weightless, effortless moves. Archer and Biggin leave the atmosphere heavy with passion, glowing with early morning bliss in one of the most sublime moments I have ever seen in a theatre.
On my journey back to York not even the atrocious weather could remove my indelible joy. Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella has it all, the deepest tragedy, the highest comedy and the most enchanting love story of all time. I can assure you; this may have been my first ballet but it will certainly not be my last.
Matthew Bourne's interpretation of Profokiev's classic finished at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, on 28th May. The company are now touring to Italy and Russia. However, tickets are now on sale for Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!, its London season starting 6th December this year.
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