Review: English National Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty at Palace Manchester

“…a magical spectacle that cast a spell on the entire audience…”

English National Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Palace Manchester

By Claire Walmsley

Having never seen a ballet at the Palace Theatre, I was very much looking forward to the experience. This theatre is one of my favourite venues and I knew the grandeur of its design would fit perfectly with the enchanting fairytale storyline of Sleeping Beauty.

Before curtain up, we were treated to a musical overture from the full orchestra, which helped set the scene. Throughout the whole show, the music was entwined with the performance, giving depth and power even in the quiet, gentle moments. Conducted by Dominic Grier, the entire orchestra was note-perfect and delivered the Tchaikovsky score with vibrancy and authority.

The production is a shortened version of the original iconic Russian performance, consisting of two acts (as opposed to three) divided into two scenes. Artistic director Aaron Watkins introduced the subtle changes to create a ballet more relatable to modern audiences. At just over two hours of runtime, there was still plenty of time to weave the magic, develop the characters and immerse the audience in the story.

The set was lavish and elegant but also extremely clever. Through the inventive use of hanging backgrounds, the story moves from the palace gardens, to the forests, to Sleeping Beauty’s resting place. I particularly enjoyed how the use of light created the illusion of a thicket of overgrown trees for the prince to search through. 

Of course, no ballet can exist without the dancers and – wow! – what a stunning display of beauty and grace. Every single dancer was perfection personified. I was in awe of their precision and clarity. The strength and dedication the performers have is inspiring. Group dances like the Garland Waltz had sixteen dancers moving together in perfect timing, all seamlessly moving around the stage and each other creating this enchanting vision of movement.

I am not sure there are the words to express how beautifully captivating the principal dancers were – particularly Emma Hawes, who played Aurora. I could not take my eyes off her when she danced a solo. Her portrayal of the princess was utterly exquisite and luminous. It was as though the music was flowing through her and her limbs were simply an extension to the soaring score of music. I do believe the audience was ready to believe that fairytales are real after her magnificent performance.

Prince Désiré (Aitor Arrieta) and the Lilac Fairy (Anti Sugiura) gave dazzling performances. Prince Désiré’s leaps were truly impressive – the audience gave an audible gasp after one spectacular solo performance. Another character worth mentioning is Carabosse – the evil fairy who cursed Aurora. Before the performance, I anticipated this would be a fierce ballerina, so I was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t so. However, the disappointment did not last long, because James Streeter did a phenomenal job of portraying the wicked character. His mimes, movement and characterisation really added to the performance.

I can’t write a review of Sleeping Beauty without mentioning the outstanding costumes. The programme states that there were around 130 costumes for each cast and I can quite believe it! Many of the tutus were dyed in-house to keep as close to the original as possible and the attention to detail did not go unnoticed. I heard several members of the audience compliment the costumes enthusiastically.

Sleeping Beauty was a breathtaking display of elegance, wonder and strength. I was completely spellbound from curtain up to the finale. It was a visually opulent, magical spectacle that cast a spell on the entire audience. I would highly recommend it to ballet enthusiasts or anyone wanting to dip their toes in for the first time. You’ll leave uplifted and wondering whether magic might be real after all.

English National Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty plays at Palace Manchester until Saturday 22 November. Tickets are available here.

Claire Walmsley is a children’s author who pays the bills by teaching computer science to primary school pupils in Manchester. When she’s not writing, reading or fixing all the broken laptops at work, she likes to run and hike. As a long-term sufferer of Crohn’s Disease, she is always trying to inspire the next generation of chronic illness sufferers. You can find her first picture book here. Or follow Claire Walmsley – Children’s Author on all the socials.