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Macmillan, not always known for his narrative clarity, here tells the tale with great simplicity. The orchestral Overture is the key to the production: the competing themes of Carabosse and the Lilac Fairy mark the stage as a battle of good versus evil culminating in the confrontation between the two just before the Prince awakens his Princess. One telling Macmillan moment is the Awakening of Aurora and the destruction of Carabosse - it is not the Prince who slays Carabosse, but the kiss itself and thus the spell of the good Lilac Fairy destroys all that is evil in the world. Both Elena Glurdjidze (Lilac Fairy) and André Portásio (Carabosse) are fine mime artists, though the latter has a tendency to play up the part as a pantomime villain. Glurdjidze is also a ravishing dancer. She is serene in her movements, exuding goodness with the rippling of an arm or a gentle bourée across the stage.

Here is a narrative language which Macmillan learnt from Nicolay Sergeyev's production upwards and whereas in 1987 ABT was coached by Baryshnikov and later Irina Kolpakova (both of whom earned their crust on the distinctly non-narrative Soviet Beauty) here ENB is coached by David Wall, himself schooled in the narrative language which Macmillan inherited. Wall coaxes out some of the most exquisite dancing from this company. Rarely do the Fairy variations in the Prologue stand out so beautifully - Désirée Ballantyne, Simone Clarke, Begoña Cao, Maria Kochetkova (of course!) and Sarah Mcllroy each in turn utterly delightful - and rarely do we see such playful divertissements as the Puss in Boots and the White Cat of Adela Ramirez (a beautiful Princess Florine at the afternoon Preview performance) and Juan Rodriguez. The Bluebird and Princess Florine were stylishly danced by Cesar Morales and Erina Takahashi, though nothing could trump the brilliant and cheeky Bluebird of Fernando Bufala at the afternoon Preview, whose entrechat-six were as light and brisk as a feather.
 

But at this performance's heart is the all-star dancing team, Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur. Oaks assails Aurora with a technical bravura. In the Rose Adagio (played perhaps more andante) she of course raises her arms to fifth position during the balances and then, in the final moments, just as the third suitor has turned her around and she has once again raised her arms to fifth for what seems like an eternity, she disdains to even take the hand of the fourth suitor, offers him a curt little nod, and turns to face the audience and the spontaneous and rapturous applause which has erupted in the whole auditorium. Yes, it is flashy, yes it is probably not what Petipa wanted, but heavens does it have a spine tingling effect! The other balletic equivalent of a tingling spine is surely Thomas Edur, who reigns supreme over the stage as a true prince ought. His manner is regal yet graceful and when he partners Oaks he does so with such a delicacy that you are amazed to discover he has actually touched her. His gift is to present the ballerina, never to upstage her, but always to achieve the means by which she can be seen in the greatest light. He belongs to the long line of gentlemen aristocrats, from the late Duke of Devonshire downwards. May he reign on his stage for ever.

With this staging the English National Ballet has most definitely scored a triumph and a triumph which should not under any circumstances be missed.