Tag Archives: Birmingham Royal Ballet

Swans, severed heads and a deerstalker: 2018 in review

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

“Wow! That’s some year you’ve had!” was a message written in one of this year’s Christmas cards. “Aiming to top it in 2019?” I’m not sure I have the energy! My outstanding operatic experience of the year was easily Salome at … Continue reading →

Posted in Ballet, CD, Comment, Concert, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heart-warming Fille mal gardée from Birmingham Royal Ballet

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Hérold: La Fille mal gardée **** Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells, 1st November 2018 A red umbrella, a butter churn and dancing chickens can only mean one thing: ballet’s favourite romcom is back. Sir Frederick Ashton’s version of La Fille mal … Continue reading →

Posted in Ballet | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

All that glitters: an opulent Sleeping Beauty returns to Birmingham Royal Ballet

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty *** Birmingham Royal Ballet, Mayflower Theatre, 31st January 2018 Fairy tale ballets don’t come with a higher classical pedigree than The Sleeping Beauty. Premiered in St Petersburg in 1890, it is the epitome of Imperial style and … Continue reading →

Posted in Ballet | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s still plenty of life in Bintley’s Penguin Café

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

Birmingham Royal Ballet **** Sadler’s Wells, 3rd November 2017 It starts like a scene from Mary Poppins, with penguin waiters nimbly weaving between waltzing couples, but ends with a deft blow to the stomach to deliver its environmental message. David Bintley’s ‘Still Life’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Ballet | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Starry, starry night: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s celestial Cinderella provides magic

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

Prokofiev: Cinderella ***** Birmingham Royal Ballet, Mayflower, Southampton, 25th January 2017 Compared with his raw, heartrending music for Romeo and Juliet, Prokofiev composed a sassier, slinkier score for Cinderella and this has given choreographers licence to lend the ballet a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ballet | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment