Swan Lake
English National Ballet

Music - Tchaikovsky
Artistic Director - Derek Deane

Apollo until Saturday 25th, 2000

Originally designed and choreographed for large round arenas, Derek Deane's production of this most popular of all ballets has been substantially reduced in scale for a tour of venues such as the Apollo, with traditional proscenium arch stages. In many ways this format is more suited to ballet, allowing the dancers to direct their movements towards the audience at all times, and increasing the sense of intimacy.

From the start it was clear this was going to be a lavish performance in every sense. The newly designed set by Peter Farmer (there was none for the in-the-round production) was beautifully detailed, especially the stunning background to the lake itself, with rocky crags and a convincing starry backdrop. The lighting, though, following Howard Harrison's design for the original production, was what set these scenes truly apart: the swans on the lake were bathed in a gently rippling blue light, imparting the ethereal magic this ballet demands. Atmospheric smoke was also used to great effect, creating a convincing water effect for the swans to glide through, as well as spectacularly augmenting Rothbart's movements.
The evil sorcerer, played by Robert Marshall, stole the show, primarily due to his magnificent attire: he was clothed in a huge multicoloured cloak of rags and feathers, giving him wings which billowed the smoke around him and added a sinister majesty to all his movements. It must have been near impossible to dance in, but he carried it off to great effect, even when his tail was stepped on repeatedly in the final scene. The achingly fragile female lead, Monica Perego, effectively represented the difference between the pure Odette and the evil Odile in her dancing. As the latter, she was more decisive and seductive in her movements, symbolised by the change from a white to a black tutu. Prince Siegfried (Patrick Armand) was more impressive still, moving with a smooth, bounding energy, and seeming to hang endlessly in the air.

On the whole, the corps were extremely well disciplined and precise in their movements, with very few noticeable glitches. The reduced number of dancers still filled the stage admirably, flowing gracefully around the set. Especially memorable were the Spanish and Italian dances during the formal court scene, complete with tambourines.
A very impressive full orchestra played energetically and almost flawlessly throughout, despite the pit being regularly flooded by smoke rolling down in clouds from the stage. The co-ordination between dancers and orchestra was superb, helped of course by the changed layout, making the conductor visible to the dancers.

As you'd expect of the ENB, this was a highly polished and exquisitely elegant production of one of their regular ballets. In its different forms, it's now been running for three years, and this shows in the slick integration of all the elements of the show. Dance of this class is something quite special, and if you can get tickets (unsurprisingly, they're like gold dust at the moment) then prepare to spend 2½ hours in a magical other world.

Alastair Wilson, 23/11/00