Tag: Birmingham Royal Ballet

Hobson’s Choice

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Many years ago in Mrs Dove’s English class, a group of students (including me) studied the play ‘Hobson’s Choice’. We also watched the wonderful black-and-white film with Charles Laughton and Sir John Mills. Therefore, when I saw that the Birmingham Royal Ballet was putting on the ballet as part of the summer season, I knew it had to be a treat for me and my Mum to go.

It was perfect! A fairly modern ballet as it was first composed, choreographed and performed in 1989. It is absolutely magical, totally reminiscent of those old silent movies. The story is told completely through the music, the choreography and the perfect expressions all the dancers performed. And, any ballet that can get ’10 Green Bottles’ into its score is good fun. Every dancer on the stage performed their character with great humour and emotion, and it really brought the whole story to life. The whole ballet was completely engaging and the audience were enthralled. There was even a little sing-along too.

‘Hobson’s Choice’ is such a delightful story which actually has a very strong female lead in the guise of Hobson’s daughter Maggie. This could be considered quite unusual for its time. But she is certainly the one behind sorting out her father and helping Will Mossop to really be appreciated for the talented boot maker that he is. She was performed brilliantly by Beatrice Parma.

Although, this may not be your traditional ballet tale, it was wonderful and I would absolutely love to see it again, as sometimes it does not feel like you can take it all in when you just watch it once.

Do you enjoy the ballet? Do you have a favourite?

The Nutcracker

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

On a snowy Friday night, is there any better adventure than a night at the ballet watching the most magical, festive show ‘The Nutcracker’? I do not think so, and that was exactly how I spent my Friday night with my Mum.

I last saw ‘The Nutcracker’ when I was 5 years old. I remember the evening so fondly, especially as I wore my favourite princess dress and remember feeling so grown up being at the theatre in the evening.

This 2017 production (because let’s not work out how long ago I was 5) by the Birmingham Royal Ballet did not burst the festive bubble I hold ‘The Nutcracker’ in.

The moment the music strikes up, you are transported to the festive wonderland. The thing that amazes me throughout a ballet is that the music and dance have to tell the story. The skill of each dancer and musician is always amazing and you are into the tale of ‘The Nutcracker’ and all its adventures.

I was mesmerised throughout; everything gelled so beautifully from start to finish. However, the ‘best’ moments (if I dare to be so brash) were the dances in the magical land, performed as a reward for the bravery of our heroine Clara.

Clara, and the audience, witness some of the most beautiful and magical dances of all time. Let’s be honest, as has pretty much every girl who has ever done ballet, I would have loved to have been the Sugar Plum Fairy too. Well, to be honest, I would have pretty much have loved to have been any one of those dancers in such an iconic piece of ballet.

I enjoyed every single moment of this production. ‘The Nutcracker’ remains one of my all-time favourite pieces of theatre. Let the festive season well and truly begin!

Coppelia – A Dancing Doll

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Cinderella was such a inspiration earlier in the year that my Mum and I could not turn down the chance to see the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s version of Coppelia. Recently, my Mum had been reminiscing about a 1970s production that she saw at Sadler’s Wells which was even more reason why we had to go and see the 2017 production at the Birmingham Hippodrome. We were not disappointed!

Coppelia is a happy and light-hearted ballet. It is a magical tale about Dr Coppelius and his misguided desire to bring his beautiful doll Coppelia to life. There is charm and gentle humour in the tale that will appeal to all.

This production did not disappoint at all – from the moment the curtain went up, the atmosphere was electric. You can see the enjoyment on the faces of all the fabulous dancers as they dance the beautifully choreographed steps. They tell the story with every movement and every action, and you are fully engaged in the stage. The music performed by the orchestra helps bring a magical atmosphere and tells the story with skill.

The Birmingham Royal Ballet has certainly reignited my passion for dance – especially ballet – and I hope to catch many more of the productions they put on in the future.

 

Cinderella certainly goes to the ball!

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

For 10 wonderful days, Birmingham Royal Ballet transported their audiences, at Birmingham Hippodrome, to the most fabulous fairy tale world of Cinderella.

Ballet appears to be becoming a bit of a little tradition for this time of year. Last year, Mum and I went to Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty (stunning) and, this year, we continued the fairy tale theme with Cinderella. I am not going to claim to be a expert in dance – I did ballet when I was younger, but the skill of these dancers was unbelievable. As beautiful as the costumes are (and they were) and as majestic as the sets are (and they really were), it was down to the dancers and the wonderful choreography to tell the story. The music offers a beautiful narration, but it really is the elegant movements of the those on the stage that truly brings the story to life.

You feel every emotion that Cinderella portrays, from her early tragic story to her happy ending. The ‘Ugly Sisters’ make you love them with the ‘elegant’ comedy they portray (I did wonder if it is harder for one to keep up the flat-footed movements of her character when she must be so used to being completely elegant and delicate). And Prince Charming, well, the strength in his dancing was amazing. When he lifted Cinderella with a stunning one-arm lift, the audience went wild (or as wild as an audience at the ballet dares to be).

However, despite the character name checks, the production would not have been as amazing as it was without the whole company. Every dancer on the stage made ‘Cinderella’ the stunning production that it was. As did the orchestra (I have always slightly envied those who play an instrument) who performed with such skill.

This production simply left me wishing that I could go to the ballet every week. It was beautiful!