Production and additional choreography by David
McAllister
Costumes designed by Kristian Fredrikson – Set
designed by Hugh Colman
Lighting Designed by Jon Buswell
Canberra Theatre 17 - 19th January, 2019
Reviewed by Bill Stephens.
With its Storytime Ballet series the Australian Ballet
has devised the perfect introduction for young children to the art of classical
ballet. The series reduces famous ballets to a digestible 55 minutes, without
interval, and presents them with a cast of young dancers fresh from the
Australian ballet school who dance the original choreography adapted to suit
the format.
The costumes are usually from the original mainstage
productions, as is the case for this year’s presentation of “Coppelia” which
uses the much admired Kristian Fredrikson costumes, of which some of the 1978
originals are on display in the foyer. A
charming setting by Hugh Colman which, with the addition of Jon Buswell’s
imaginative lighting, cleverly encompasses both the outside and inside of Dr.
Coppelius' toy shop.
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| Sean McGrath as Dr. Coppelius |
This version avoids the darker aspects of the ballet
with Dr. Coppelius portrayed by Sean McGrath as a genial panto-host who explains
the gist of the story, and encourages the young audience to use their magic
wands (purchased in the foyer beforehand) or simply wave their fingers, (if
grandma’s says no to the wands), to assist with the magic at various points in
the story.
The twelve young dancers who make up the cast swap
characters at the various performances. At this particular performance Jasmin
Forner was a delightfully animated Swanilda, who had her young audience
fascinated when she switched costumes to trick Dr. Coppelius into believing
that she was his prized doll, Coppelia.
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| Artists of the Australian Ballet in "Coppelia - Storytime Ballet" |
Handsome Benjamin Obst danced stylishly as her
boyfriend Franz, while the rest of the cast, Dayna Booth, Cieren Edinger, Lewis
Formby, Billy Laherty, Alexander Mitchell, Eliza O’Keefe, Yvette Sauvage,
Estelle Thomson and Chantelle van der Hoek, shone as Swanilda and Franz’s
friends, and particularly in feature solos as Coppelia, Dawn and Dr. Coppelius’
magical dolls.
Ballet Mistress for this tour is former principal
dancer Madeleine Eastoe and the Ballet Master is former Canberran, Paul
Knobloch. Their influence is notable in the careful attention to the detail of
the choreography which is based on the original by Saint-Leon, Petipa,
Cecchetti and David McAllister. While this may be of little interest to the
young audience entranced by the pretty costumes and fun storyline, it is
indicative of the importance placed by the Australian Ballet in ensuring that
their target audience receives an authentic ballet experience. This production
delivers that in spades.
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 18.01.19