✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper


Sign up by Email or Facebook.

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we sent newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Turning tips into memories

Get started Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Kids
  • Benefits
  • Membership
  • Get Started
  • Membership
  • Benefits
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Dance

ENB, The Sleeping Beauty Review ★★★★★

06 Jun 18 – 16 Jun 18, 19:30 matinees Thu 14:00 & Sat 14:30 Dur.: 3 hours including two intervals

Mesmerising Alina Cojocaru leads English National Ballet in a fine display of lucid storytelling and dazzling glamour in Macmillan’s The Sleeping Beauty

By CW Contributor on 11/6/2018

2 CW readers are interested
Alina Cojucaru as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, photo Laurent Liotardo
Alina Cojucaru as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, photo Laurent Liotardo
ENB, The Sleeping Beauty Review 4 ENB, The Sleeping Beauty Review Teresa Guerreiro
Kenneth Macmillan’s The Sleeping Beauty was one of the first ballets performed by ENB under Tamara Rojo’s directorship back in 2013. Five years later it remains a glorious spectacle in their repertoire, packed with Marius Petipa’s demanding choreography, opulent glamour and lucid storytelling.


TRY CULTURE WHISPER
Receive free tickets & insider tips to unlock the best of London — direct to your inbox
It’s likely that you’re familiar with this classic fairytale; however, for newcomers to the ballet, it’s a lengthy production that balances moments of dense storytelling with decorative solos and pas de deux. It all culminates in a luxurious wedding celebration for Aurora and her Prince Désiré, denoting the victory of good over evil.


The Prologue – which depicts a celebration for the christening of Princess Aurora – displays the only moments of stiltedness and nerves amongst the expansive corps, with a little raggedness occasionally visible. This is hard not to forgive however, as the stage is filled by Nicholas Georgiadis’ spectacular array of costumes, the most grand saved for Aurora’s dazzling fairy godmothers.


The grace and poise of this quintet is the highlight of this opening act. Begoña Cao executes with fine precision and is beautifully elegant as the Fairy of the Crystal Fountain. Rising stars of the company Rina Kanehara and Katja Khaniukova both give assured performances as the Fairy of the Golden Vine and the Enchanted Forest, respectively. Both dance their solos with maturity and musicality, handling Tchaikovsky’s score confidently.


It is this sweet and picture perfect opening, enhanced by Peter Farmer’s lush green set design, which is dramatically invaded by James Streeter’s magnificently evil Carabosse. Streeter commits fully to this role, he paces the stage, eyes wide with anger at the betrayal of his forgotten invite to the party.




James Streeter as Carabosse, Shiori Lase as The Like Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, photo Laurent Liotardo
It’s not until act one that the audience finally meets a fully grown Princess Aurora, and goodness she is worth the wait! Having been glimpsed in ENBs recent triple bill where she danced in William Forsythe’s Approximate Sonata 2016, Alina Cojocaru makes her classical return after maternity leave – and what mesmerising one it is.


Entirely believable as a fresh faced sixteen year old, Cojocaru dances with exquisite lightness and ease. She executes the tricky balances of the famous Rose Adagio effortlessly, extending her leg to the six o’clock position in one wonderful flourish each time. The innocence of Cojocaru’s Aurora is so pure. The joyous way she dances with the spindle presented to her by Carabosse in a rather feeble disguise is similarly enchanting.


Shiori Kase’s assured Lilac Fairy is a dependable ally throughout, especially when guiding lovestruck Prince Désiré (Joseph Caley) to the sleeping Aurora. Kase has a testing job, returning in each act to direct the action, but she demonstrates a quiet authority suited to the Lilac Fairy’s gentle, ethereal nature; never distracting the audience from the Prince and Aurora in act two.


Culminating in a grand wedding celebration, the full company hit their stride to reach a fittingly regal finale. Shevelle Dynott and Jennie Harrington provide some light hearted support as an imposing Wolf and a skittish Red Riding Hood.


Macmillan is not known for fairytales, but his sumptuous Sleeping Beauty is a wonderful showcase for the current dancers of English National Ballet, in which both corps and principals can impress. There are an array of soloist roles on offer, which provides a great opportunity for Tamara Rojo to really to demonstrate the depth of talent in her company.


by Vikki Vile

What ENB, The Sleeping Beauty Review
Where London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, , London , WC2N 4ES | MAP
Nearest tube Charing Cross (underground)
When 06 Jun 18 – 16 Jun 18, 19:30 matinees Thu 14:00 & Sat 14:30 Dur.: 3 hours including two intervals
Price £14-£79
Website Click here to book via the Coliseum website



Most popular

Things to do this weekend. Picture: NYCB's Prodigal Son
Things to do in London this weekend: 26 - 28 February
James Nesbitt and Charlene McKenna in Bloodlands, BBC One (Photo: BBC)
Bloodlands, BBC One review
Andra Day in The United States vs Billie Holliday, Sky Cinema (Photo: Sky)
What to watch on TV this week

Editor's Picks

Matthew Ball as The Swan and Ensemble, photo Johan Persson
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake in Cinemas Nationwide
BRB, MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, dancers Momoko Hirata & César Morales
BRB, Romeo and Juliet Review
RB Marianela Nuñez & Vadim Muntagirov, Swan Lake, photo Bill Cooper
The Royal Ballet, Swan Lake, ROH
Javier Torres as Rochester, Dreda Blow as Jane in Northern Ballet's Jane Eyre, photo Caroline Holden
Northern Ballet, Jane Eyre Review
BRB, Kin, dancers Jenna Roberts and Joseph Caley, photo c/o BRB
BRB, Polarity and Proximity Review
Lest We Forget, English National Ballet at Sadler's Wells
English National Ballet: Lest We Forget, Sadler's Wells
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

We recommend nearby

  • Frenchie Covent Garden

    Restaurant and wine bar Frenchie has been credited with redesigning the Parisian way of eating. Its simple, generous yet precise dishes are heavily influenced by chef cum owner Gregory Marchand's classical training in Nantes.

    Read more...
    Book Map
  • Coco Ichibanya

    The first European branch of Japan's biggest curry house chain dishes out Japanese curries with adventurous toppings and plenty of options to customise your meal.

    Read more...
    Book Map
  • Henrietta Hotel and Restaurant

    Michelin-starred chef Ollie Dabbous has teamed up with luxury hospitality specialists The Experimental Group to open a modern British bistro within a boutique Covent Garden hotel.

    Read more...
    Book Map
2

English National Ballet

ENB

London Coliseum

The Sleeping Beauty

Maria Alexandrova

Kenneth MacMillan



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • What is Culture Whisper membership
  • Corporate membership
  • Give a gift membership
  • Retrieve a gift membership
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×