BALLET: Stanley Peskin
IN Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty (presented by=20 Pact Ballet at the State Theatre), there are three=20 potent centres of power: the king and the ceremonious=20 nature of his court; the evil fairy Carabosse, who,=20 performed en travestie, makes a parody of the=20 christening rites at the beginning of the ballet; and=20 the Lilac Fairy, who represents the efficacy of love.=20 All these meanings are marvellously present in=20 Tchaikovsky’s great score for the ballet, but are less=20 apparent in this production.
The breaking of Carabosse’s evil spell is too=20 perfunctory, perhaps because the panorama that should=20 precede it has been omitted. Carabosse herself looks=20 like a cross between the Queen of the Night and the=20 Last of the Mohicans and so, despite Bruce Simpson’s=20 incisive miming of the role, lacks any real=20 malevolence. The delicately tinted sets (Anthony=20 Farmer), the picture-book costumes (Lindy-Ann Grindlay)=20 and the lambent lighting (Nic Michaletos) have=20 considerable charm, but are not quite grand enough to=20 express the richness of spectacle inherent in this=20 magical fantasy.
As Aurora, Tanja Graafland is more assured than she has=20 been in the past. Apart from an uneasy moment or two in=20 the taxing Rose Adagio, she imparts a delicacy and=20 fluency to the role that is almost entirely charming.=20 Her Prince is Julian Harper-Brown in an appropriately=20 pensive and aristocratic performance. He is a more than=20 able partner and he conveys both the melancholy (before=20 the Vision) and ardour (after the Vision) of the=20
Adele Grey achieves a pleasing flow of movement as the=20 Lilac Fairy, but the role is under-characterised. The=20 same is true of her attendant fairies. The cavaliers=20 are barely in evidence and the whole of The Prologue=20 (The Christening) is a little disappointing. The third- act divertissements are more successful. Kimbrian Bergh=20 is in fine form as the Bluebird; Sacker meets the=20 technical challenges of Princess Florine with fluid=20 success and Robin van Wyk is a musical Florestan.
The corps de ballet is satisfactory, but the music is=20 not played by the Transvaal Philharmonic Orchestra with=20 the theatrical character and sumptuousness that=20 Tchaikovsky’s miraculous score deserves.
Sleeping Beauty runs at the State Theatre until=20 September 9. Tonight, the leading roles are taken by=20 Johanna Bjsrnson and Iain MacDonald; tomorrow night,=20 they will be taken by Tanya Graafland and Johnny Bovang