Alina Cojocaru and Chi Cao in Queensland Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by David Kelly.
Beautiful, enchanting, and mesmerising. While not without its flaws, Greg Horsman’s The Sleeping Beauty is truly a masterpiece. Audience members will be transported to a familiar childhood world, but with a few minor and refreshing alterations. The utilisation of the black rose which Aurora pricks her finger on instead of a spindle, not only makes more sense – due to Catalabutte’s destruction of anything and everything potentially dangerous – but plays well into the princess’ innate naivety. Furthermore, the deviation of Catalabutte from human aristocrat to a feline advisor gives the production a unique twist that left the audience admiring with subtle laughter.
Gary Harris’s set and costumes are marvellous. One cannot simply sit and watch the ballet unfold without being drawn in ​by the subtleties of each and every piece of costuming, or enamoured by the complexities of his set. Rotating parapets, beautifully crafted interiors, and other complex ​details ensure an authentic backdrop that enriches the ​production; lighting designer Jon Buswell complimented the set without detracting from the performers.
Each principal dancer brought out unique qualities in the roles they performed. Alina Cojocaru is a testament of grace and strength; she demonstrates the frailty of the young princess, but in no way compromises the power of her graceful dancing. However, in this production, ​which undeniably revolves around the princess, special notice should be given to other strong artists. Clare Morehen’s Carabosse is not only a strong presence on stage, but also a beautiful foil to that of the fairies. Her ambitions and her striving for revenge are clear and enticing; the audience will become enchanted by everything Morehen has to offer. Unfortunately, the climatic moment of struggle between Carabosse and Prince Désiré is lost and thrown away in comparison to the drawn out wedding celebration, thus cutting short Morehen’s potential for dramatic flair.
The feline advisors of Catalabutte and Lady Florine are befitting of this magical tale, and create an enjoyable respite from the more serious nature of traditional ballet. Paul Boyd and Sophie Zoricic are enigmatic and truly something to watch. The careful playing, fussing, and general subtleties that these two use throughout the performance continues brilliantly throughout, even when not the dominant focus of a scene. Boyd and Zoricic provide moments of comedy and are just one example of this production’s proclivity for finding hidden gems in all the ensemble’s actions on stage – attention to detail is key to success.
While further fine-tuning can be expected as the production grows in popularity, it is clear that Greg Horsman has created a spectacular ​production, worthy of adulation.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
The Sleeping Beauty
Queensland Ballet
Choreographer: Greg Horsman
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Set and Costume Designer: Gary Harris
Lighting Designer: Jon Buswell
Conductor: Nigel Gaynor
Princess Aurora: Alina Cojocaru
Prince Désiré: Chi Cao
The King: Christopher Hinton-Lewish
The Queen: Zenia Tatcheva
Catalabutte: Paul Boyd
Lady Florine: Sophie Zoricic
Carabosse: Clare Morehen
Wisdom, the Lilac Fairy: Yanela Pinera
Beauty, the Blue Fairy: Lisa Edwards
Wit, the Green Fairy: Eleanor Freeman
Grace, the Orange Fairy: Lina Kim
Song, the Yellow Fairy: Teri Crilly
Ensemble: Hao Bin, Camilo Ramos, Shane Wuerthner, Emilio Pavan, Alexander Idaszak, Joel Burke, Jack Jones, Nicholas Milne, Matthew Maxwell, Vito Bernasconi, Laura Hidalgo
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Lyric Theatre
23 – 31 October 2015
