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THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, from the Royal Ballet, London
16th January 2020 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Journey with The Royal Ballet to an enchanted world of princesses, fairy godmothers and magical spells in this landmark production of Petipa’s classic ballet, to Tchaikovsky’s glorious music.
The story
The wicked fairy Carabosse is furious she wasn’t invited to Princess Aurora’s christening. She gives the baby a spindle, saying that one day the Princess will prick her finger on it and die. The Lilac Fairy makes her own christening gift a softening of Carabosse’s curse: Aurora will not die, but will fall into a deep sleep, which only a prince’s kiss will break.
Background
The Sleeping Beauty holds a special place in The Royal Ballet’s repertory. It was the ballet with which the Company reopened the Royal Opera House in 1946 after World War II, its first production at its new home in Covent Garden. Margot Fonteyn danced the role of the beautiful Princess Aurora in the first performance, with Robert Helpmann as Prince Florimund. Sixty years later, in 2006, the original 1946 staging was revived by then Director of The Royal Ballet Monica Mason and Christopher Newton, returning Oliver Messel’s wonderful designs and glittering costumes to the stage.
Additional choreography
Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell and Christopher Wheeldon
Production
Monica Mason and Christopher Newton after Ninette de Valois and Nicholas Sergeyev
Music
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Original designs
Oliver Messel
Additional designs
Peter Farmer
Lighting designer
Mark Jonathan
Cast
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- Princess Aurora: Lauren Cuthbertson
- Prince Florimund: Federico Bonelli
- Concert Master: Sergey Levitin