Tag Archives: Momoko Hirata

Venue: Theatre Royal Plymouth Choreography: David Bintley Music: Glenn Buhr Reviewer: Helen Tope The ballet begins with a familiar scene. Belle stands at the top of a bookcase, mired deep in words. She is the original bookish heroine; an outsider in her own family. Her father is a ship merchant, deep in debt – and the bailiffs are called. While ...

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Original Choreography: Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon Additional Choreography: David Bintley, Marion Tait Reviewer: Daljinder Johal It’s difficult to reinvent the wheel for a classic ballet like The Nutcracker. But Sir Peter Wright’s 1990 production doesn’t need to when it’s just so magical. Since Wright gifted it to Birmingham, the scale of this annual production never fails ...

Music:  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Peter Wright Director: David Bintley Reviewer: Barbara Michaels One of the stars in the firmament of the Birmingham Royal Ballet company, their production of The Sleeping Beauty, first staged by the company in 2010, is one of the best. Not surprisingly, it remains an important part of their repertory, and is, ...

Music: Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky Choreographer: Marius Petipa/Peter Wright Reviewer: John Kennedy Shamelessly romantic, this Sleeping Beauty awakens the senses through a seduction of somnambulant stealth. Firmly in the classical repertoire’s treasure-chest marked Opulent Baroque: Excess In All Arenas, tonight’s extravagant costume-drama from the wardrobe of Mount Olympus blushes not a jot at its OTT self-indulgence. Philip Prowse’s design, an opulent neo-classical Renaissance ...

Choreographer: David Bintley Music: Carl Davis Reviewer: Helen Tope Aladdin, with its magic Genie and flying carpet, may not seem the most obvious choice for a ballet. But in a brand new production, Birmingham Royal Ballet makes a compelling case as to why we should take this pantomime favourite much more seriously. The challenge Birmingham Royal Ballet has is in the reshaping of ...

Music: Igor Stravinsky, John Harle, Arthur Sullivan Choreography: Michael Corder, Ruth Brill, John Cranko Reviewer: Daljinder Johal The Birmingham Royal Ballet has treated audiences with its summer season featuring three wonderful short story ballets including Arcadia. As seen as publicity posters, it allows First Artist Ruth Brill, to now make a name for herself as a choreographer. However, don’t be ...

Music: Sergei Prokofiev Choreographer: David Bintley Reviewer:  Laura Jayne Bateman Premiering in 2010, and featuring recently retired star principal Elisha Willis in the title role, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Cinderella takes inspiration from Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale. Choreographed by company director David Bintley to Sergei Prokofiev’s score, the production enchantingly combines the grit of Cinderella’s abusive home life with the magic ...

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreographers: Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon Reviewer: Nicole Evans One of the classics, and undeniably one of the most timeless, ballets, The Nutcracker returns to its anticipated festive home, The Birmingham Hippodrome, for its Christmas run once again presented by Birmingham Royal Ballet. In its 26th year, and with the opening night coinciding with creator Sir Peter ...