Festival Theatre, Edinburgh – until 15th April 2023
Reviewed by Rachel Farrier
5*****
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty completes a trio of interpretations of Tchaikovsky ballets, which began with his groundbreaking all-male Swan Lake. This production may not push boundaries to the same extent, but its freshness and imaginative reshaping of the familiar story as a century-spanning gothic fairy tale, complete with vampires, Edwardian garden parties, and a modern nightclub, makes this Sleeping Beauty utterly captivating.
In this re-imagining, ‘Prince Charming’ is Lep the young gardener, who is already beloved of Aurora before she goes into a deep sleep, and who has to become part of the troupe of mischievous fairies (reminiscent of A Midsummer Night’s Dream) in order to rescue her from the clutches of the curse of Carabosse, the dark fairy. For me, Paris Fitzpatrick as Count Lilac – leader of the vampire-fairy band – was the stand out performance of the night. The routines in which he and Leo (Rory MacLeod) danced together were particularly enthralling.
Cordelia Braithwaite perfectly interpreted Aurora, investing what could be a passive role with life and wit. She was especially good in the scenes where, blindfolded, she depicted the sleeping Aurora with beautiful, drowsy elegance.
Two particular scenes stood out for me: the first was early in the second half and saw most of the company on stage, as sleeping mortals in the enchanted forest, dressed in white and all blindfolded. The choreography was spectacular in itself, but the ability of the ensemble to manage it without the benefit of sight was breathtaking.
The second stand out scene was in the gothic-styled nightclub where the flamenco-inspired ensemble routine was both playful and menacing, with the red and black clad dancers circling the bewitched Aurora who is under the spell of Caradoc, son of Carabosse (who is fulfilling his mother’s curse). Ben Brown played both Carabosse and Caradoc and was particularly magnificent in the latter role, whose sinister intentions towards Aurora (it is suggested) extend to a kind of sexual enslavement.
Another standout feature was Lez Brotherston’s set and costume designs, which created a series of unique worlds, from the fin de siecle elegance of the king’s court and gardens, to the moonlit wood outside the castle where the enchanted Aurora sleeps.
It isn’t all velvet and vamping, however. Bourne mixes the sweeping romance and gothic styling with humour, especially a delightful puppet of baby Aurora in the opening scenes, and some Chaplinesque clowning from Rory MacLeod as Leo, as he fights his way towards the castle and his true love.
This is a stunning and spellbinding production, regardless of whether you have had any experience of ballet before, and it rightly deserved the rapturous reception it received last night.