PERFORMANCE & COMEDY

Theatre Royal Bath (Wed 16-Thur 17 Nov)

DANCE Tchaikovsky's score for 'Swan Lake' is probably one of the best known pieces of classical music on the planet, so it's hard to know how the Moscow City Ballet Orchestra could make such a hash of it.

The brass and woodwind sections were so out of tune (and out of time) that it made it virtually impossible to form an objective opinion of the MCB's performance. If truth be told, it wasn't that good either. The corps de ballet, whether swans, villagers or courtiers, seemed ill-drilled and many were of low calibre. Why Khant Nadyrbek had been cast in the substantial role of Benno, the Prince's friend, is a mystery as his technique was sadly lacking and he brought nothing to the part.

Talgat Kozhabaev's Prince Siegfried was suitably regal and proved a good support for Liliya Orekhova, the company's redeeming feature, who played the dual role of Odette/Odile, the swan princess and her impostor. A dancer of rare flexibility, with a wonderful extension and the ability to metamorphose convincingly from bird to human, she was a light in the darkness. Daniil Orolov danced the role of the wicked enchanter Von Rothbart with pantomime evil while Valeriy Kravtsov put in a lively performance as the jester. It could be that with better musical accompaniment, the dance element might have seemed better. And then again . . . (Lesley Barnes)

Copyright Lesley Barnes 2011