Lost Letters is the first full work from former Bayerisches Staatsballett Principal, Lucia Lacarra and her self-titled ballet company. Having previously taken the role of Founder and Producer of Goldenlac, an endeavour by herself and former Royal Ballet Principal Matthew Golding, this is the first effort with her own company. Golding is still present however, not only partnering the leading lady but also responsible for the choreography of Lost Letters. Together with eight other hand selected Spanish dancers, this is a romantic and heartbreaking account of love in the First World War.
Based on a real letter written by Frank Bracey to his wife, Win, in May 1916, Lost Letters explores what may have passed if Win had not received this letter. “I'm just writing a line, Win, in case something happens to me. Just to let you know how much I've always loved you, my darling. You're the best little girl on God's earth, have I ever told you that? But I'm writing this because I have a feeling I'm not coming back …” Fortunately Lacarra and Golding are both strong storytellers and so much more, they carry off the emotional weight of their roles with tenderness and sincerity.
The action on stage is supported by full screen video projection behind the dancers, we see moody and barren coastal scenes, deserted beaches, empty rooms for solitary waiting and fields filled with poppies. Golding and Lacarra can often be seen dancing in the film and simultaneously on stage, offering a (mostly) synchronised view. Sadly only with a recorded soundtrack, the music of Rachmaninov and Richter is fittingly sombre.
A moment too, for the able corps de ballet of four males and four females. In this short seventy minute work it's a shame they are not given more to do. Ladies dressed in muted pastels celebrate the delivery of their letters while Lacarra is empty handed. The men initially smart and spritely are later stagnant and dishevelled by war. Lost Letters has been performed in a handful of European cities thus far so the cohesion is slick but they are not given too much chance to shine.
Lacarra is front and centre, and rightly so, marked out also as she is the only one in pointe shoes. She is small framed, poised and elegant but with an unmistakable strength employed throughout in lifts and holds handled smoothly and gracefully. She is incapable of striking a bad line and I couldn’t help but notice the curve of her foot in her hard pointe shoes, she remains a special talent to admire. Golding more than holds his own too although his role is less athletic, it’s his acting that draws in the audience, he dances with a striking heaviness and honesty, he knows his predicament is hopeless.
Although personally, I found the rather slow and cyclical pace enjoyable, it will be too plodding for some. The energy remains in the same, muted gear throughout; floaty pas de deux, Lacarra is lifted above Golding's head countless times, there are longing looks, gorgeous extensions (fingers included) and plenty of opportunity to admire her feet and picture perfect arabesques but there is no development from here. The climax comes when they dance against the backdrop of a field of poppies, Lacarra is in a crimson gown with an endless train that billows across the stage. The pas de deux is lengthy and not so different from what went before but together with Golding they are beautifully lyrical and the framing is highly aesthetic.
The ending is left for our own interpretation. Broken by the lack of news from her husband, we see Lacarra walk slowly into the stormy sea before a blackout, only to be reunited with him in the giddy, dying seconds.
Lost Letters is essentially a vehicle for a series of intimate pas de deux from two principals with natural chemistry. Their performances are calm and understated, but their technical mastery speaks for itself.
