Coppelia
Production: Coppelia
Venue: Grand Opera House
Rating: **
I was very much looking forward to Tuesday’s performance of Coppelia at the Grand Opera House; the last ballet I had seen was The Nutcracker performed by the English National Ballet, so this had a lot to live up to. Sadly, it came nowhere near to my expectations.
The ‘enchanting’ story of Coppelia centres around a young couple, Frantz and Swanilda, whose relationship is tested by the presence of a beautiful mechanical doll. Frantz falls in love with the doll, Coppelia, who has been created by an eccentric toymaker reminiscent of Oliver Twist’s Fagin: Dr Coppelius.
The ballet is in three acts –a redeeming feature if you want to pop to The Lowther for an interval drink- and ends with the inevitable marriage of Swanilda and Frantz. However, instead of being mesmerised by the couple’s fancy footwork and graceful pirouettes, I found myself irritated by the heavy clomp of Terentiev’s step.
One redeeming moment was the scene where Swanilda and her friends break into Dr Coppelius’s workshop, wind-up the toys and make them come to life. The stage is filled with a myriad of beautiful colours and the magical musical score by French composer Délibes, adds that extra sparkle. A well-deserved, sustained round of applause was afforded to the chorus who performed this piece so effortlessly.
If it wasn’t for the stunning live orchestra, then this ballet would have very few redeeming qualities. If you are a small child then you may be impressed by simple stories of love and some pretty outfits; if you are any older, then you will recognise how uninspiring both the cast and choreography are and will leave the theatre feeling, if nothing else, a little lighter of pocket.
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I was very much looking forward to Charlotte Alexander-Marsh’s review of Coppelia online at nouse.co.uk; the last review I had read was The Nutcracker performed by the English National Ballet, so this had a lot to live up to. Sadly, it came nowhere near to my expectations.