Northern Ballet brings Beauty And The Beast to life at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham
A modern version of a classic fairytale comes in the form of pointe shoes and pirouettes to Nottingham Royal Theatre.
Beloved ballet Beauty and the Beast retells the original tale, reflecting themes of narcissism and capitalism in modern times.
Northern Ballet managed to get everyone on their feet cheering and clapping even before the performance started as artistic director Federico Bonelli and executive director David Collins spoke about their campaign to protect the future of live performances.
On entering the venue, the audience was given Keep Northern Ballet Live! leaflets, which is the orchestra’s campaign to protect touring ballet across the country and keep music alive. The company is being forced to consider getting rid of its live orchestra during some touring productions due to short funding and the rise in living costs.
Not having the orchestra would deprive the audience of a key part of the production as the live music creates the perfect atmosphere to follow the classic love story.
Beauty And The Beast starts with the narcissist Prince Orian (Jonathan Hanks) glorifying himself in the mirror and wanting the love of all his court and subjects.
The vain and selfish prince is cursed by La Fee Magnifique, the evil fairy (Sarah Chun) and turned into a monster.
Always side by side with the evil fairy, La Fee Luminaire, the good fairy (Rachel Gillespie) gives the Beast a rose and tells him that her sister’s spell can only be broken if he learns to love and be loved in return.
It follows the typical story of Beauty (Dominique Larose) who selflessly left her family to live with the Beast (Kevin Poeung) in his castle in exchange for her father’s life, who was kept hostage after stealing a rose from the castle gardens.
As time goes by Beauty strangely starts to care for the Beast, who oddly tries to capture her attention and love by learning about kindness and caring for others.
The ballet was supported by infectious classic music from Bizet to Debussy played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia.
The audience was transported to a world of fairy tales where beauty is merely a name and love returns a Beast to his human form.
The classic story was given a different light by the couture-style costumes and brilliant dances that captured the public’s eye as they enchanted and delighted through the stage.
The ballet will be at the Theatre Royal until Saturday, October 7.
The ballet overflowed with elegance and passion as the dancers gave life to the classic fairy tale for an evening of roses, thorns, beauty and a beast that needed to be loved. – MT
