Coppelia

at the Apollo October 99

For a pleasant bit of escapism this production of the comic classic Coppelia does the business. Not often do you get a comic ballet, and this combines an amusing story with bright, engaging dance.

The curtain rises to an idyllic pastoral scene in central Europe, complete with temple-style church towers rising in the background and the stage hung with leaves and aflame with warm autumn colour. The ballet is set in a village in Galicia, and it is the eve of Swanilda’s (Daria Klimentova), the burgomaster’s daughter, marriage to Franz (Dmitri Gruzdyev), the archetypally handsome villager. However, Franz is spotted flirting with another girl, albeit a motionless one, who sits on the balcony of the mysterious house of the sinister Doctor Coppelius (James Supervia). The doctor delights in the effect his doll is having amongst the young men of the village, and plans to bring her to life by giving her a soul.

This first act conveys the rural simplicity of the insular village where everyone knows everyone else. The Burgomaster (Gavin Fitzpatrick) is delightfully spindly in a top hat and tails, and wobbles around the stage amongst the graceful dancers, conveying a tremendous sense of personality through his physical presence. Franz is clearly untrustworthy, the traditional philanderer blowing kisses in all directions while his fiancee turns a blind eye - up to a point. Her annoyance at this Other Girl is very clear as she stamps her foot and slyly eyes the doll up to see if she is prettier than herself. Meanwhile the stage is awash with the whirl of brightly coloured skirts and embroidered waistcoats, giving an impression of country festival while maintaining the skilled choreography of classical ballet. Dr Coppelius has a shock of wild hair and grimacing face, raising lots of laughs with his eccentric behaviour, and the perfect antithesis to the groups of graceful dancers that surround him. As a whole the company emits an atmosphere of naturalness and enjoyment that sweeps the audience along.

The second act is set in Doctor Coppelius’s workshop, Swanilda and her friends having found the key and crept inside. Meanwhile disloyal Franz is climbing into the house via the balcony, anticipating a meeting with the beautiful girl. Again the scenery is striking, continuing the romantic theme with a background of dark crags that gives the room a looming, cave-like quality. Around the room are large mechanical toys and the bed is hung with dark, jagged rags. The young girls in their bright costumes creeping exaggeratedly across this sinister background in a chain of joined hands is wonderful. Daniella Cavalleri as the Coppelia doll manages to remain remarkably still, while Swanilda’s jerky rendition of the doll’s inflexible movement makes her seem almost inhuman, and is probably the most skilful and interesting dance of the whole performance.

The final act, back in the village square, has some simple but evocative solo performances as the village people act out the hours of the day, and the company again manages to combine the atmosphere of a flamboyant provincial wedding with the precision of polished choreography.

Coppelia is absorbing throughout, as it manages to maintain the narrative to a level where one is watching the story through the movement and not merely watching ballet for ballet’s sake. Dancers, orchestra and audience alike enjoyed this good-humoured production.

Jane Labous.