Yes, that’s right. It’s actually THE Sleeping Beauty. I did not realise that, but there you go, big moment for me. The Sleeping Beauty.

Do you know, reader, there are times when I wish I could sleep for 100 years…

(That’s got that obvious quip out of the way).

Cursed by a wicked fairy, a beautiful princess pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep that can only be broken by true love’s kiss.

Enchanting, magical, beautiful.

me

…every element of this production, directed by Carlos Acosta, from the costumes, to the set design, the lighting, to the sweeping and at times playful choreography, to the score (written by one Tchaikovsky, but brought to life and beautifully executed by The Royal Ballet Sinfonia, musically directed by Koen Kessels).

And by the time we’d reached the pinnacle of the performance as (spoiler) love conquered everything, the Sleeping Beauty had married her Prince and the glittering, shimmering ticker tape cascaded and twinkled its way down from above, I was somewhere other than Salford Quays.

The dancers were memorising, both in their individual performances and as a glorious and cohesive collective.

To consume ballet (and, indeed, opera which tend to be…well if not bedfellows then, perhaps flatmates), you attend with an open heart and mind and just allow yourself to be transported to a magical world, where movement and music consume the senses and tell the story.

I do feel it helps that many come with an age-old tale and narrative that we are familiar with, lest we spend acts 1 and 2 panicking and completely distracted by trying to directly translate an arabesque directly into narrative. There is a distinct and actual link between the choreography and the story, but it does help to come armed already with an understanding of the plot in order to sit back, relax and allow the performance to sweep over you and take shape.

Indeed, during one of the two intervals, my plus 1 in theatre-going and indeed life, mused how ballet would work in a genre of murder mystery or plot twists. Imagine a brand new Poirot performed with pirouettes, the audience’s confusion as the murderer is finally revealed in the drawing room, complete with motive, method and twist in the tale. Trying to decipher the port de bras, passes and plies in terms of whether it was Aunt Maud in the utility room with the airfryer, or that was a red herring all along.

All that tongue-in-cheek interval musing aside, there’s a wonderful section in the programme on mime in ballet, a technique which is prevalent in this version.

I guess what I’m saying for any non-verbal, somewhere on the scale of abstract, performative art, if you’re nervous about dipping your toe in, don’t be. Just understand the sentiment first.

And this is why it was so lovely to see a number of children in the audience last night. Acquainted with the fairytale of The Sleeping Beauty, the production further extends its inclusivity, by including a short-form, pictorial guide to the characters and each act in the production.

But as age-old as this tale is, and indeed this classical ballet itself premiering in 1890, this particular stage production is bespoke to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and no part of its creation comes without individual artistry from every member of the company involved.

Of the production, Dame Darcey Bussell, who coached Birmingham Royal Ballet’s dancers in the role of Princess Aurora (having danced in four different productions of The Sleeping Beauty) says,

With Sir Peter Wright’s (Choreographer and Founding Director Laureate of BRB) Sleeping Beauty, the sets and the design are so beautiful – it really is spectacular from the moment the curtain goes up.

It has such energy that there’s never a dull moment. All the characters are incredibly strong and they all have a part to play, and I think Sir Peter keeps that story thread from the beginning to the very end.

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty can be seen at the Lowry Theatre, Salford until this Saturday 9 March. As much as we love Manchester, Salford and surrounding areas, allow yourself to be taken out of yourself for a short while and enjoy a little bit of magic on the Quays.

Further details and tickets can be found at https://thelowry.com/whats-on/birmingham-royal-ballet-sleeping-beauty/