Swan Lake – English National Ballet, Empire Theatre, Liverpool

By Amory Powell

The English National Ballet performing Swan Lake at the Liverpool Empire theatre? I knew it was something I could not afford to miss – and the performance was everything I hoped it would be.

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has been performed so many times, that it is hard not to wonder whether it has been overdone, and that the magic has been lost. Not so with Derek Deane’s production. Accompanied by some fantastic lighting by Howard Harrison, a stunning set and beautiful costumes that glinted in front of your eyes whilst managing not to distract, Derek Deane’s choreography was stand out and spread the magic across the whole stage.

Watching as Princess Odette (Erina Takahashi) turned into a swan under the evil spell of Rothbart (James Streeter), captivating Prince Siegfried (Francesco Gabriele Frola) and then, in turn, falling for him, you could truly feel the childlike excitement of the romance. This audience was left on the edge of our seats every time the curtain went down at the end of each of the four acts, hoping for more, even knowing the inevitable ending.

Francesco’s performance in Act III was particularly convincing; seeing the exuberance of young love, both in his face and in his performance. If there was any criticism it would be that Erina Takahashi, in playing the ‘Black Swan’ part, was not as convincing in this role as the innocence of her Odette role. But this is a minor blemish. She was superb.

Peter Farmer and Howard Harrison successfully transported the audience from the stage area to the imagined scenes, and you could not tell me in the final act that those girls were not swans resting on a lake as the curtains rose. I was hooked in the magic like a small child, just as I was many years ago.

Finally, Swan Lake would not be Swan Lake without the music and the English National Ballet Philharmonic under the direction of Gavin Sutherland played a superbly goose bump-inducing performance which shouldn’t be missed, in of itself.

Beautifully traditional, and yet continuing the magic of the ever-loved story – the English National Ballet was able to steal the audience away in what made for a truly magical three hours.

The English National Ballet continues with it’s tour of Swan Lake at the Palace Theatre Manchester from 05 – 08 Oct 2022. For further details and bookings go to the English National Ballet website.