The Bard to Ballet

I don't want to boast but I know my Shakespeare. I'm familiar with most of his works and if he were alive today, I'm pretty sure he's someone I would go to the pub with. Well I'm 100% sure I would go with him, the question is would he go with me? My favourite parts of my education have all revolved around him and I think him the most beautiful poet that I've ever read. With all of this being said, A Winter’s Tale is not a play that I know very well. It's actually one of the lesser known plays so at first I found it surprising for Christopher Wheeldon to take it on and turn it into a three-act ballet. Once you know the story, however, and its dense narrative, there is actually a lot to pull out of the Bards play. The problem is that such a complicated story needs great genius to bring out the themes and explain the narrative. Wheeldon is not genius; however, his extreme talent does this play justice in ballet form and we have a 21st century three-act ballet that the Royal should be proud of.

I first saw Wheeldon’s interpretation in its debut run a couple of years ago and I liked it but didn't really have much to say about it. This year, having seen it again I find myself liking it more and more. It grows on me every time and I'm beginning to really take notice of each step in the choreography. Like the narrative, Wheeldon’s style is dense and one could not argue that there isn't much going on. It's funny, with Strapless I felt that the dancers weren't used enough and that it would have benefitted from more dancing, but with Winter’s Tale Wheeldon really packs a lot in and it's safe to say you get your money's worth. Someone like MacMillan was able to tell a whole backstory with a simple raising of an arm or a leg in his choreography like in Mayerling where we just understand it all immediately somehow. Wheeldon is not bad at this either. I particularly find this in Act One where Leontes and Hermione are fighting. The choreography is smart and tells the audience a lot. This is a woman devoted to her husband, shocked that he could become abusive and cruel so suddenly especially over something that he’s fabricated in his mind. I love a lot of this choreography and it’s very clever, such as the couple touching heads while Hermione goes backwards on pointe, or the lifts and turns that convey Leontes’s madness. An obvious highlight for me is the way in which reality is shown alongside Leontes’s imagination which is cleverly portrayed while Hermione shows Polixenes the hallway of statues. The lighting and music quickly changes while we watch what is really going on both in reality and in the mad mind of Leontes. This is a great production, and the use of sets, costume and visual effects is stunning. The tree in Act Two needs to be mentioned as its dazzling green and unruly shape always brightens the eyes of the audience. This is what I like about Wheeldon. He has a clear vision with his productions and although I would argue they often overshadow the choreography, they are always enjoyable. When he does strip the production back, you’re left with something like Within the Golden Hour – a highlight from the Royal Ballet’s season. A Winter’s Tale, however, has an over the top production and a lot of choreography so neither seems to overshadow the other. It seems he has found the Golden Mean.

The first cast has much to offer, primarily Lauren Cuthbertson whose languid frame is perfectly suited for Wheeldon’s choreography. She’s a wonderful dramatic actress and is mighty fine at dancing the steps. It’s no surprise Wheeldon is always keen to use her in his ballets. It was also interesting to watch Steven McRae really enjoy himself in Act 2 and I felt that the smiles and energy from the whole cast were genuine signals that they were having fun. McRae may be small but he’s a big dancer, jumping high, turning like a hurricane and partnering Sarah Lamb with strength. He makes Florizel his own. Vadim Muntagirov was also lovely in this role, but I don’t think the choreography suited him as well. He did, however, dance beautifully with Beatriz Stix-Brunell and their partnership in this was loving, delicate and genuine. They brought a lot more emotion and depth and I felt like I was watching two young kids in love. The same can also be said for Frankie Hayward and James Hay, also in the same role, whose partnership I’m beginning to really enjoy. More please. Remember their Rhapsody? Still crying over that one.

As dark, brooding, mad protagonists go, no-one does it quite like Thiago Soares. Perhaps it’s the Latin thing or perhaps he’s dark, brooding and mad, but he was a joy to watch in this ballet. He confuses me so much as a dancer, possessing real emotion and confidence in one role and letting this go in others, but for a role like Leontes he was well cast. Bennet Gartside was equally up there – perhaps the best in the role and watching him as the lead was refreshing and something I would happily see more of - I’m excited to see his Rudolph in Mayerling next year, assuming he will be cast in the role. To be honest, all three seemed to be rehearsing their Rudolph’s which I found quite amusing.

All in all, this is a good ballet. It’s a grower. The more and more I see it, the more and more I enjoy seeing it. Wheeldon has succeeded in putting Shakespeare to ballet (a very difficult task) and it seems he is fast becoming a national treasure. I would end with a quote by Shakespeare, but I don’t want to show off so I’ll just exit this piece…pursued by a bear.