Despite an announcement before the performance, about part of the technical crew had went on strike that evening, the show went well with just a couple of hiccups. The orchestra played wonderfully under the baton of Barry Wordsworth.

Svetlana Lunkina, guest danced as the lovely Lise, with a sunshine personality, and a heart-warming smile. Mathieu Ganio as her joyous and loving boy-next-door.
Their solos in Act 1 seemed to be a warm-up, both well-equipped dancers executed the repertoire with care, however they failed to engage with the music and the audiences.
In the Ribbon pas de deux (Pas de Ruban), the ribbons seemed to be too long for the couple, with extra long ends dangling in most of the positions. This led to a loss of neatness and line. In addition, Ganio fussed with the ribbon during the sequence, resulting with a knot on part of the ribbon. Both dancers appeared to be more engaged with the ribbon, than with the overall performance.
By the second act, the dancers were warmed up both physically and facially. The pas de trios of Alain, Colas and Lise, was enjoyable, both for the audience and the dancers themselves. They coordinated and showcased fine and competent dancing. Lunkina’s Lise’s solo, which followed shortly was delightful and looked effortless. Similarly, Ganio’s Colas’ solo showed a great sense of performance and an outstanding attack.
In Act 3, Lunkina glowed on stage as she mimes expressively and sailed through her pas de deux with ease and a lovely use of the upper body.

A very detailed Widow Simone was superbly and flawlessly performed by Stephane Phavorin. Simon Valastro gave an excellent performance as the dim-witted Alain. Valastro’s fantastic portrayal was sharp in his timing, facial expression, and detailed in his movements technically. As mentioned before regarding the strike, Alain missed his ‘flight’ at the end of Act 2 in the storm scene.

The female corps worked the choreography with pleasing style in the upper body, however, their footwork lack crispness. The male corps struggled with the choreography, and seemed to show the lack of engagement with the audience and interest altogether.

The experience was surreal. A peasant setting, storybook-like painted backdrops, curtains and sets, framed in heavily ornamented gold cornices, it was like watching a moving painting in an antique frame (like one of those portraits in Harry Potter’s Hogswart).