Words by Lucy Mounfield / Pics by Bill Cooper
On 13th February, Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) will bring their production of the classical ballet The Sleeping Beauty to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage.
Evening performances will be held at 7:30pm from Tuesday to Saturday, with matinees held (after the opening night) each day except Wednesday and Friday. Ticket prices vary depending on the date and time of performance, as well as seat positioning.
In addition to the standard performances, and in common with many Hippodrome productions, great lengths have been taken to create accessible variants for BRB’s The Sleeping Beauty. There will be an audio described performance on Saturday 17th February at 2:30pm, preceded by a touch tour of the stage and props at 10:30am. A relaxed performance will also be held on Tuesday 20th February at 2pm.
First performed in 1890 in St Petersburg, this staple of the classical repertoire was a collaboration between the famous composer Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky and the Russian Imperial Ballet, by whom he was commissioned to compose a score.
Since then, The Sleeping Beauty has been widely performed and adapted, becoming part of the repertoire of ballet companies all over the world – past performances of it at the Hippodrome have included Matthew Bourne’s vibrant, modern take. Of the many dance adaptations of the classic fairytale, Peter Wright’s version arguably stands as the epitome of the opulent and spectacular ballet of the Russian tradition.
It’s no surprise then that Birmingham Royal Ballet have chosen to kick off 2018 with Peter Wright’s masterpiece which aims to be true to the classical style, featuring Tchaikovsky’s score performed by Royal Ballet Sinfonia along with original choreography by Marius Petipa.
The Sleeping Beauty
is a fairy story based on a classic French fairy tale – most viewers will be familiar with it through the famous Disney film adaptation Sleeping Beauty. On the day of her birth, Princess Aurora is cursed to grow up to be beautiful but to die from a prick to her finger from a spindle by the evil fairy Carabosse as an act of petty vengeance. The good Lilac Fairy is unable to lift the curse, but manages to alter it so that the princess is subject to a 100 year sleep instead.
At its core, The Sleeping Beauty is a magical story of good versus evil set to spectacular dancing and an iconic score. With Mathew Bourne’s Cinderalla recently gracing the Hippodrome stage, taking another classic tale – this time transplanting it into London during the Blitz, it will be nice to get back to some good old fairy tale escapism. Perfect for anyone wanting to sweep away the February blues.
The Sleeping Beauty – Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet presents The Sleeping Beauty at the Birmingham Hippodrome, running from Tuesday 12th to Saturday 24th February. For direct show information, including venue details, production times and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/birmingham-royal-ballet-sleeping-beauty
For more from Birmingham Royal Ballet, visit www.brb.org.uk
For more from the Birmingham Hippodrome, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com
