Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 18 October 2025
Reviewed by Louise Ford
5*****
You are in for an absolute treat
This autumn’s offering from Northern Ballet is Merlin, it is a magical story of battles, gods and dragons. No boring knights and static round tables here.
If I’m honest, I wasn’t sure that I really remembered the story of Merlin, but a glance through the program soon put me in the picture.
The ballet is choreographed by Drew McOnie with the superb music by Grant Olding. McOnie created the ballet relatively recently in 2021. The fantastic costumes and sets are by Colin Richmond. The illusions and magic are by Chris Fisher. The lighting by Anna Watson. And finally, the puppetry is by Rachael Canning. This amazing and talented group brings to the stage a magical story that is both touching and grand in its scale and execution.
The opening set is viewed through a golden frame, which sets the tone and colour way for the whole production. It is a stylish gold and black with a powerful golden circle dominating the stage. We are transported to the world of the gods, Merlin’s divine parents, the Lady of the Lake (Gemma Coutts ) and Helios, the Sun God (Bruno Serraclara). Together, they create a shining orb of light which falls to earth. A young blacksmith (Heather Lehan) chances upon the orb and discovers a baby. She adopts the child and brings him up as her own. The young child is Merlin (Harris Beattie). Merlin works in the forge and helps to make weapons for the Solar Kingdom. His adopted mother encourages him to hide his strange magical powers as she fears they will attract the wrong kind of attention.
The story moves between the humble forge to the Court at Camelot. Camelot is no stuffy, dull grey castle it is rather an Egyptian-inspired golden temple. The city of the Solar Kingdom. The Solar Kingdom, which is led by King Vortigen (Miguel Teixeira) and his son Uther (Jackson Dwyer), is at war with the Kingdom of Tides. The added twist is that Uther is in love with Princess Ygraine (Saeka Shirai) of the Kingdom of the Tides.
The costumes for the Solar Kingdom soldiers are golden and unisex, with cut-away skirts which allow for flowing movements. The Kingdom of Tides are dressed in shades of blue and turquoise, as befits their name. Their costumes are more free-flowing and liquid, which allows for some amazing acrobatic dancing.
The role of Morgan is played by Sarah Chun, who is an absolute powerhouse. She is chosen by the King to lead the soldiers into battle, seduces Merlin and steals his power, is infatuated by Uther and finally transforms into the fearsome Morgan le Fae. Crikey!
The puppetry operated by Archie Sherman for the dragon and, I think, Helen Bogatch and Alessia Petrosino for the dogs, adds another dimension to the production.
The energy and joy from the Northern Ballet ensemble is palpable. The whole cast is mesmerising as they weave the story of Gods, magic and love across the stage.