Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until Saturday 23 March 2019
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
5*****
Two hundred years ago this year Queen Victoria was born and Northern Ballet is paying a tribute to the legendary Queen and an incredible woman. A co-production with The National Ballet of Canada, Cathy Marston is commissioned to develop this exciting new production which is currently world premiering.
Marston, supported by a talented creative team, brings to life stories of one of the longest serving monarchs. The production is set to Queen Victoria’s diaries about her life and unlike some adaptations it doesn’t focus on a specific period during her reign. There is so much content from her life that could be used creatively for many interpretations. Marston however chooses the option for the story to be told through the eyes of Beatrice, her youngest daughter, and also the exploration of the complex relationship between her and the Queen.
An older Beatrice (Pippa Moore) narrates from selected diary entries and delves into the past of her mother and Queen (Abigail Prudames) which begin with her secluded latter years and her close friendship with John Brown (Mlindi Kulashe). She also learns that the grief stricken Queen forbade her to marry. A pained Beatrice turns to pages to more bittersweet memories when she permissively marries Liko (Sean Bates) albeit the conditions set by the Queen but it ends in tragic circumstances. At the end of Act One bitterness and anger reigns over Beatrice on the how strong her mother’s influences and similarities are and the impact it has on her.
In the Second Act Beatrice looks at an earlier diary and learns of a younger Victoria (Mariana Rodrigues) who has a lonely upbringing until she becomes Queen. Beatrice then reads about the intimate and passionate relationship between her mother and father, Prince Albert (Joseph Taylor), and alongside their ambitious rule and visionary ideals. The demands and stresses of the Prince’s workload ultimately leads to his death and the Queen grieves and takes her youngest daughter, younger herself (Miki Akuta), into widowhood. The story concludes with Beatrice coming to terms and making peace with her mother’s memory. On recollection there are similar parallels between herself and her mother.
Northern Ballet is very passionate about storytelling and it’s evident with their strong interpretation of Victoria through dance and movements. Set to Philip Feeney’s incredible musical score, under the baton of Daniel Parkinson, the company emotively interpret the story with their silhouette and intricate moves. Prudames and Taylor’s portrayals of Victoria and Albert are excellent and they accurately express their deep passionate love they have for one another. Moore as the Older Princess Beatrice movingly narrates the emotions and circumstances of Queen Victoria, ranging from her unrequited love to her deep mourning. She interprets coherently the love, the pain and the respect she has for her mother and her determination to understand.
Steffen Aarfings’s dark and sombre staging reflects the complexity of Queen Victoria’s life and its bright colourful interpretations of the power she has over the world. This is all set to Alastair West’s lighting which bodes well with the moods of the story. Uzma Hameed’s enriching input to the drama and relevant themes don’t go unnoticed. Victoria is definitely a ballet for a Queen and one can’t imagine a better way to pay this tribute to a legend.