Recent Royal Ballet Reviews 'Sawdust and Tinsel' reviews

First though we had an Ashley Page to get through. Now, Page works normally contain some or all of the following: loud discordant electronic music, themes of sexuality, jealousy, threat, unease, violence, dancers all dressed in black, darkness, lots of fierce energy and high extensions in a manner not unrelated to Forsythe. When I heard that this time he was using music by Poulenc and a circus theme, I thought we might be in for something uncharacteristically jolly. I was wrong. What we get in Sawdust and Tinsel is sexuality, threat, unease etc. but in bright costumes this time. Bright but not necessarily subtle: Michael Nunn was in black leather trousers with a bright red codpiece. Page puts his five principal characters (lion tamer, acrobat, ringmaster, tightrope walker, illusionist) through a variety of sexual pairings, in a manner which made MacMillan look positively restrained and subtle by comparison. For no very good reason these episodes are interrupted every now and then by a group of elaborately costumed circus girls, one of whom is actually a man. Edward Watson managed to portray some pathos as the pale faced sad acrobat figure and emerged out of this with some credit, but the tepid applause at the end was one of the most lukewarm receptions I can remember.

Las Hermanas, MacMillan’s reworking of the House of Bernarda Alba, had an outing earlier this year on the Dance Bites tour, and the cast looked well into their roles. Gillian Revie is a fine MacMillan dancer (much happier in this than in Ashton) and as the eldest sister conveyed a mixture of uncertainty, longing, and mistrust (of her own feelings, as well as of her fiance) with intense feeling. It’s a good work to see at the Wells - the house has a intimate feel despite the size of the stage and the claustrophobic Hermanas set gives you the sense of being right there on their doorstep.

Hermanas is a powerful work, but not a cheerful one, and we were in need of something rousing and exhilarating to lift the spirits at the end of the evening. This Raymonda duly delivered. The designs in white and gold are beautifully done - they got a round of applause at curtain up as usual. What we were here for though, was the dancing. Acosta is being paired with Yoshida, an intriguing combination (they are scheduled to do some Filles together at Christmas) and one that on this viewing looks like a hit. Technically, they are both tremendously strong and physically looked well matched. The partnering looked perhaps just a little tentative in parts, but the lifts, including the one handed ones all looked tremendously easy and secure. In fact everything looked easy for him: huge jumps, soft landings. Yoshida’s variation was done with her usual glittering elegance and precision and an air of cool command. Both of them share an ability never to look rushed or hurried on stage: they seem to have all the time in the world to get through the steps, no matter how fast or how complex. Both of them received an ecstatic reception which was well deserved.