Review: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty

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Last night saw the return of a Matthew Bourne masterpiece to Nottingham’s Theatre Royal. Just last year we were treated to Edward Scissorhands and this week it is his interpretation of Sleeping Beauty.

Using the original and magnificent score by Tchaikovsky Bourne’s reworking of this classic tale featured more than just good and evil fairies, it became a gothic romance that spanned from the Edwardian era, through the Victorian times and right up to modern day.

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Anywhere you looked on stage the cast were actively acting, one particular favourite was the palace footman during the garden party, he was hilarious. Adam Maskell was incredible as the dark fairy and equally dashing as her son. However Sleeping Beauty herself stole the show for me, Ashley Shaw was just beautiful and such a gifted dancer.

Olivier award winner and long time Bourne collaborator, Lez Brotherston did yet again an epic job on the set and costume design, the clever use of netting in the set design and smooth set changes made the show simply magical.

It was beautiful, wild, enchanting and comically captivating; as to be expected from Bourne this wasn’t just a ballet, it was like watching a silent movie that featured dance. Don’t miss your chance to catch it at The Theatre Royal this week, it is running each evening until Saturday with a matinee on Thursday. Tickets available from www.trch.co.uk

For fans of Matthew Bourne his production of The Red Shoes is coming March 2017

Review by Josie Opal

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