REAL JOY AND CAMARADERIE EMANATING FROM THE STAGE

By Staff Writer | Press Invite

If you’re searching for some sunshine on a gloomy London day, there’s no better way to find it than by going to see La Fille Mal Gardée at Sadlers Wells.

Everything about this ballet is simply delightful, and from start to finish the dancers managed to find the perfect balance, quite literally, between elegance and whimsical farce. 

Beatrice Parma as Lise was pure joy in pointe shoes, who puts in an extraordinary amount of work in the leading role, all with a brilliant smile on her face. 

Enrique Bejarano Vidal as Colas was also a perfect leading man. His solos were fantastic, but he really shone in the pas-de-deux numbers, and in the slapstick throughout the show. Colas can sometimes be reduced to nothing but a love interest, but Vidal brought a goofiness and charm to the role that made not only Lise but the whole audience fall in love with him.

Of course the true star of the show is Alaine. Whoever dances Alaine faces the somewhat impossible task of being the town ‘idiot’, and also entitled, and also still lovable, and Gus Payne found the true heart of Alaine and more. 

By the end of the play, I was almost rooting for him to win over Lise (no spoilers for the end, of course!) 

A lot of credit must also go to Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta. Despite his life-long fame in the ballet world, I have found that some people are still quick to discount ballet companies that are not in Covent Garden. Those people are missing out. 

Acosta has created a miraculous company in Birmingham. 

Maybe they’re just really good actors, but from my perspective there was real joy and camaraderie emanating from the stage, and the whole corps de ballet performing together was an absolute triumph. 

Also, who doesn’t love some slapstick? A ballet dancer prat-falling down the stairs will make me laugh every time. 

Lastly, congratulations are due to Oscar the Welsh Mountain Pony who made his Birmingham Ballet debut last night!! He is a true star in the making.