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He was born to dance the role of Woyzeck, a soldier on whom experiments with substances are being performed by a weird doctor (Jonathan Howells) and an even stranger captain (a wonderful Thiago Soares, as we've never seen him before). These substances affect his mind as well as his body, and his increasingly strange behaviour sends his partner, Marie (Leanne Benjamin), into the arms of the colourful Drum Major (played here with gusto by Martin Harvey). At first she rejects him, but then succumbs (what woman wouldn't?!). In doing so, she seals her fate; Woyzeck viciously murders her, then commits suicide by drowning himself in the bath. As we see his body being wheeled across the stage with the doctor doing an autopsy to see what the effects of all the drugs have been on him, his soul is released and as the curtains drop Woyzeck is slowly, deliberately walking along the unending railroad tracks the soldiers have been guarding.

Not that it is that simple. This is MacMillan, after all! Much of this almost surreal work is left to one's own interpretation. Who or what is 'The Soldier' (Thomas Whitehead)? He is obviously some sort of Christ figure, with a crown of thorns on his head, and when doing a pdd with Marie she ends up two or three times in a 'Christ on the Cross' position. Why does he carry a one-eyed head onto the stage, only for Woyzeck to grab it and throw it into the wings? Why all of a sudden does Woyzeck shave the captain, when the captain is the one who has been, literally, barking orders up to that point? A few of us were discussing these things (and more) during the subsequent interval. No-one had definite answers, but a ballet that really makes one think and use the imagination can only be a good thing.
 

One doesn't 'enjoy' Different Drummer. One can appreciate the quality of dancing and drama on the stage, as portrayed by everybody on it. All the soldiers danced in time with each other (except when they were required to go bonkers and go awry when following the captain's skewed barking), and did a couple of beautiful sets of single-line jetes across the stage (reminiscent of Onegin). Martin Harvey made a cocky, confident Drum Major, managing to dance and twirl a large baton at the same time. Together with Mara Galeazzi, Watson and Benjamin form what is in my opinion the MacMillan triumvirate of the Royal Ballet. Watson and Benjamin have danced together for a long time, and it shows in the risks they take together, and in how well they understand each other, on both the physical and dramatic level. Both give superlative performances here. One of the many interesting things about Drummer is the contrast between the dark happenings onstage and the beautiful music (Schoenberg and Webern). Throughout this triple bill and three very different styles of music, all demanding in their own ways, the orchestra sounds fantastic under the baton of Barry Wordsworth. Here is a conductor who truly understands conducting for dance. I hope I can see this again...maybe I'll be able to answer some questions if I do.

Drummer is sandwiched into the middle of this triple bill by Chroma and Rite of Spring. Chroma still looks fresh and exciting, with the same cast as the last outing except that Mara Galeazzi has replaced an injured Alina Cojocaru. Ed Watson had a busy afternoon; after dancing Chroma he went straight into Drummer with only a 30 minute break. It looks like this will be the only time this season we get to see Watson and Galeazzi dance together, and even this short piece is worth it just for that. Again, these two understand and feed off each other and just look perfect together. They both have a manic edge that gives me a frisson whenever I see them dance together. I said it last time and I will say it again: I would love to see Lauren Cuthbertson and Eric Underwood dance together some more; they too have an underlying danger to their dancing which means that they complement each other very well.

The final piece is MacMillan's feral, savage Rite of Spring, which happily involves almost the whole Company, who were electrifying throughout. They pulsated like the beating heart of a new earth, and made me glad and grateful to be on that same earth.