Don Juan reviews All Arc reviews

Just returned from "The return of Don Juan" in Basingstoke. The other half insisted that I post my comments straight away, he was so impressed!

First,I have to say that Irek was dancing well. No effort at all in jumps (or landings!), beats or turns was apparent this evening. He is a fine artist, even if his classical technique is no longer flawless (not that that was apparent here), and the performance was very musical, well-danced and acted.

I loved the music, particularly enjoying the Mozart references - the band were excellent and also seemed to be interested in what was going on on stage!

The concept was good, and the drama came across very well - it was highly accessible. I thought that the second act was not as strong as the first - more development of the seduction would have improved it, the character and plot development didn't seem to be going anywhere during "the shoot".

I enjoyed the choreography on the whole - the cast and crew dances were very reminiscent of 50s and 60s Hollywood (Gene Kelly dream sequences and that bit in Funny Face where Audrey Hepburn's in the smoky club, together with a bit of West Side Story). The first half was definitely more compelling and more dramatic but overall I felt that the piece worked well and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Irek turned in a very good performance (even if he is a little overwhelming from the 5th row of the stalls) without hamming it up (which I had been a bit worried about). Others worth mentioning I thought were Bernard Espinasse as Leporello - he's a real star, and the RB could do worse than try and entice him over. A lovely dancer with a very strong technique and BAGS of personality to boot. Fast and fluid,, he was very good to watch. Victoria Edgar was the other impressive cast member for us - Sylvie-like extensions with a Kristin Scott Thomas face and again very fluid and lyrical. As the Devil, I thought that it took Kenneth Tharp a little while to settle in and really "live" the role, but by the second act he was really going for it.

A really good evening, in short! Now over to Robin....

Well, I haven't read what Anneliese has typed in, but from the typing that I overheard it sounded like a book !

I'm no ballet expert by a very long way, but (if it's not too much of a cliche) I know what I like. I have to say that tonight's performance was very good indeed. I don't know whether it was the proximity of the action, the friendly number of (high calibre) dancers, or just the liveliness of the music and dancing, but I found it much more captivating than London-based big productions, which often transport my mind into my garage at home.

It was a real shame that the venue wasn't packed. I hope that this type of production continues, because I will DEFINITELY be wanting to go to the next one...

Huh, last time I take him to see a load of big tutus!