Review: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at Buxton Opera House

“…a very funny show, with expert dancers…you can enjoy with your children, or their grandparents…”

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Buxton Opera House

By Phil Scown

So, here’s the proposition: a night at the ballet, at Buxton Opera House, with an all-male troupe, on one of the hottest nights of the year.  I know this doesn’t sound like a great idea – or even a good one.  You probably know that too.  Significantly, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo also know it doesn’t sound like a great night out, but they ensure that it is.  Entering the auditorium was an air-conditioned pleasure.  That’s one problem out of the way.  We’ve sat in too many theatres when it’s been too hot to enjoy the show.  Not a problem at Buxton Opera House.  I was expecting classical music before curtain up.  Tonight it was just the buzz of a full house, looking forward to the entertainment.  The buzz quietens as an announcement is made: there are to be changes to the cast.  Coming in as replacements are Holly Dey-Abroad, Maya Thickenthighya, the Legupski Brothers, and others.  This makes it clear that we are not in for just an evening of classical ballet.

Act One: Swan Lake (Le Lac des Cygnes), familiar music, less familiar swans. The male dancers, ballerini (I had to look it up) enter en pointe, portraying the swans. They can dance. It is clear, from the start, that this is not a comedy act pretending to be dancers. They dance extremely well, and add comedy.  The audience is laughing already, and marvelling at the skill. The moves are all there, the lifts, pirouettes, and head-high leg raises. It would be impressive to see the dance on its own, but there is also the mime. Perfect snippets, shades of Marcel Marceau, small gems that make for laugh-out-loud moments.

Act Two:  A solitary ballerina enters. The costume is possibly that of an oriental queen, or maybe Anne Boleyn. There’s a hand gesture, which reminds me of the British Sign Language for, er, ‘nonsense’.  The dance that follows uses a handkerchief or veil in what becomes a comedy routine.  A different scene blends classical ballet with moves that might be from MTV pop videos.

The act concludes with ‘The Dying Swan’, but not as you’ve ever seen it before.  You know the music, but you will not have seen this dance. Excellent.  Mike Gonzales is responsible for the costume of the dying swan, which sheds feathers throughout the piece.  Design brilliance.

Act Three and the Encore:  More excellent dance and laugh-out-loud moments in Valpureyeva Noch, their take on Walpurgisnacht.  The encore includes a parody of a well-known modern dance troupe.  An unexpected addition, all the funnier for those of us who are towards the side and can see around the smoke machine in overdrive, which engulfs the front and centre stalls.

It would be wrong to single out any one member of  the troupe that is The Trocs. The tall, the short, and everyone in between, make the scenes and the laughter. Those with comic highlights are supported by straight men who make it all work. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male dance troupe.  Don’t go expecting a raunchy show.  This is a very funny show, with expert dancers. It’s entertainment that will have you laughing, a show you can enjoy with your children, or their grandparents.  There are no embarrassing moments, just dancing prowess and comedy that will have you laughing at unexpected moments. Just don’t choke on your wine, as I did. 

Impress your friends, tell them you’re going to the ballet.  Better still, take them to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, aka The Trocs.  Have a great time, and a good laugh on a night out at Buxton Opera House.  You won’t regret it.  Did I mention that they can dance?

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo plays at Buxton Opera House until Wednesday 24 June. Tickets are available here.

Phil Scown has been a regular theatre-goer since his student days many years ago. Mysteries, thrillers, ghost stories, comedies and musicals are all part of his theatre diet. Phil writes short stories in a variety of genres, some of which have become screenplays. He likes to tour England, Scotland and France, nowadays by car rather than motorcycle. At other times Phil likes to cook and to drive his Caterham, though generally not at the same time.