RB ‘Triad’ reviews ‘This House’ reviews Last year of RB reviews

I've steadily become quite depressed about the work of Ashley Page for the Royal Ballet. Year in, year out, he's always been given at least one major commission - a hugely privileged position that nobody else has enjoyed - and year in year out the general view of the critics and audience is less than charitable. Of course no view is 100% shared by all and there are those who critically acclaim his work. But then I suppose some think Hitler is misunderstood and the victim of a bad press...

Page created a wonderful piece 7 years ago, Fearful Symmetries, and I also liked Room of Cooks for being so taut and dramatic (and short!). But that's about it and more than many would offer as praise. Most of his works have been danced just a few times in their original bill and never surface again. In the last few years Page has become absorbed by dysfunctional relationships often told in a dysfunctional way. There are snatched images and bleak cameos everywhere but any dramatic plot is beyond fathom.

This House Will Burn is Page’s latest work and it's the same approach with expensive design (by the artist Stephen Chambers and Jon Morrell) and a commissioned score from Orlando Gough. The designs feature a bed, kitchen sink, sofa, a Perspex room up a level and piles of household goods together with some strange front and backcloths of figures. They are certainly inventive, as is the moody lighting and likeably jazzy minimalist score, but they tend to compete with rather than support the choreography. Or rather the choreography takes brilliant dancers and manages to drone on for nearly 40 minutes making you depressed at the repetitiveness of it all. There is no joy here just snatches of relentless and senseless relationship horror often in front of the children - a bit of smothering for you perhaps? About 10% of the time there are some glorious flashes of movement in pdd and duets but for the most part one becomes dejected at the narrowness of the movement and dramatic vocabulary. Page’s notes on the piece consist of a couple of quotes from books that provide little by way of illumination. Compressed down to 10 or 15 minutes it might be more successful I suppose.

Both Page, and his management, seem content to mine the same seam which I guess would make sense if it was critically appreciated or did good box office. But it isn't and doesn't and it’s got to the point where Page just seems to be 'taking the piss' as somebody in the audience graphically described it. We all want new work, we all want to help develop the next MacMillan or Ashton, but you can't force these things and rather than waste money on repeatedly self-indulgent productions in the main house it would be better to develop lots more choreographers in the smaller theatrical spaces that the ROH now possesses. For himself Page ought to take the opportunity to work with other dancers and in other contexts. The time has surely come to end the situation where Page continues to take the money but sees it as beneath contempt to even occasionally consider the audience.

Another choreographer into dysfunction and the excesses of the human spirit was MacMillan of course. He however knows how to sketch characters people understand, identify with and even relate to. Triad has been out of the RB repertory for nearly 30 years and on the same bill made a welcome return. It’s about two brothers and a girl that they both deeply fancy - they would say love I'm sure. MacMillan said the work was based on some childhood memories. But you wouldn't expect MacMillan's memories to be all lightness and innocence and they are not. There is raw emotion here but it's not an incredibly dark piece and it does covey the real mixed emotions of adolescent relationships.

It's the end section of pas de trois that I find incredibly endearing as the brother repeatedly tries in vain to force the couple apart. It’s also a ballet of legs: I've never noticed legs so much in any MacMillan piece and on reflection it’s right because few us ever use our legs as much as we did in our younger and friskier days.

Dancing were Jaimie Tapper, Johan Persson and Edward Watson (as the Brother) and all did great jobs, Tapper being very secure technically, Persson smiling less and starting to grow on many, and Watson was magnificently broody and strong. His presence on stage is now very powerful and he needs to be given more principal roles.

Rounding off the evening was The Concert lead out by Sarah Wildor and Johan Kobborg who were both feeling their way into the roles but created a fine impression. After the Page it cheered the audience and sent us home happy. This is actually a good bill with two excellent pieces well worth seeing. Forgive me for carrying on about the Page but the helpful nudges of many seem to fall on steadfastly deaf ears while all the time precious money, and opportunity, is squandered.