By Joy McKay.
Birmingham Royal Ballet have returned to Mayflower Theatre with Director Carlos Acosta’s revival of the Marius Petipa classic ballet Don Quixote.
A, famously, technically challenging ballet to perform and, at almost three hours long, usually considered one for the aficionados, how does Acosta’s version compare to previous interpretations?
Don Quixote is a wonderful book written by Miquel de Cervantes. But it is long and complex with many intertwining tales, characters and locations. Attempted productions from greats such as Orson Welles and Terry Gilliam even have failed to finish big screen versions.
Therefore it is no surprise that the ballet Don Quixote focuses on just one of these tales; the story of forbidden love between two young townsfolk Kitri (Mokoko Hirata) and Basillo (Mathias Dingman). And it is this couple who take the principal roles.
From the start it is clear Acosta’s version of the ballet is going to be a bit punchier.
The beautiful overture, based on the original Ludwig Minkus score and rearranged for this production by Hans Vercauteren, is almost awkwardly long in the traditional version. (I remember seeing it in Covent Garden previously and worrying there was a technical issue as it took so long for the curtain to raise). But whilst giving the audience just enough time to appreciate the orchestra we are soon introduced to Don Quixote (Dominic Antonucci) and his faithful servant Sancho Panza (Alfie Lee-Hall). This first brief vignette sets the tone already providing comedic moments with the audience laughing out loud.
The ballet is performed in three acts and in the first our heroes travel to the town where they (and we) meet Kitri and Basillo. You cannot miss that this is a story set in Spain with Flamenco style dresses, fans, guitars, matadors and the warm glow of the sun in the square. The choreography reflecting this too combining Russian ballet with Acosta’s Cuban roots.
This ballet is known for being challenging to the dancers and this has not changed with the update; with extended periods en pointe, entrechat, pirouettes and jete. This act is a showcase of skill, particularly for Hirata combining her strength and grace to make her performance appear effortless.
In act two the lovers have run from the town and end up in a gypsy encampment. The staging has changed and focuses on a simple campfire. The dancers are joined on stage by musicians playing the Spanish guitar.
This sequence features new music from Vercauteren and, whilst very different from the Minkus score, fits in perfectly. The addition of the musicians on the stage making a very relatable and timeless party atmosphere. As the party draws to a close we are presented with, what is probably, the most famous scene from the book, Don Quixote’s madness overcoming him as he mistakes windmills for monsters, who he is compelled to fight. Back projection and animation can easily be overused in the theatre but Nina Dunn’s video design doesn’t jar or dominate. Gothic, macabre skeletal hands morph from the windmills’ sails for our Don and snap then back to reality for Sancho Panza. A perfect example of using modern technology to enhance the production.
For the final act we return to the town for the wedding of Kitri and Basilio with the couples’ beautiful Pas de Deux at the centre as their friends and family celebrate. Whilst there are ballerinas in pretty white tutus, this production it is far removed from what you may consider traditional ballet. For a start it’s a comedy, no tragic moments here. And as a result, it’s almost bawdy. But at the same time it has all the elements you expect; The orchestra are wonderful, the score rousing, choreography pulling out the great skill of the dancers.
No longer just for the aficionado Acosta has made Don Quixote more accessible, taking nothing away from the original, rather he just peps it up a little.
Runs until April 18th. Tickets for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Don Quixote are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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Production images released Carlos Acosta’s production of Don Quixote