An excellent Ashton triple bill from The Royal Ballet

By Mark Pullinger, 24 April 2022

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“Sambé left a trail of scorch marks across the stage”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 23 April 2022

Scènes de Ballet (Sir Frederick Ashton)

A Month in the Country (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Rhapsody (Sir Frederick Ashton)

The Royal Ballet

Emmanuel Plasson, Conductor

André Beaurepaire, Set Designer, Costume Designer

John B. Read, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Julia Trevelyan Oman, Set Designer

Peter Teigen, Lighting Designer

William Bundy, Lighting Designer

John Charlton, Lighting Designer

Sir Frederick Ashton, Set Designer

William Chappell, Costume Designer

Sarah Lamb, Dancer

Vadim Muntagirov, Dancer

Marianela Núñez, Dancer

Matthew Ball, Dancer

Gary Avis, Dancer

Christopher Saunders, Dancer

Luca Acri, Dancer

Mica Bradbury, Dancer

Francesca Hayward, Dancer

Marcelino Sambé, Dancer

Yasmine Naghdi, Dancer

Reece Clarke, Dancer

Laura Morera, Dancer

Anna Rose O'Sullivan, Dancer

Steven McRae, Dancer

Robert Clark, Piano

Kate Shipway, Piano

ABT presents the classics with slightly uneven results

Ivy Lin, 25th October

ABT offer some outstanding performances in a classical quadruple bill but there was a lack of confidence and uniformity within the corps de ballet.

***11

National Ballet of Japan revives Ashton's beloved Cinderella

Naomi Mori, 18th October

The National Ballet of Japan gave an excellent rendition of Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, in spite of many new faces and role debuts.

****1

Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée: the most joyous of ballets

Amanda Jennings, 18th October

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, get thee to the Royal Opera House and see La Fille mal gardée, a gem of a ballet. There’s a long roster of impressive casts to choose from.

****1

The Royal Ballet School: a triumphant display of excellence throughout

Jonathan Gray, 12th July

It was a wonderful, heartening afternoon – it’s no wonder nearly all the 2025 graduates have gained contracts with several major ballet companies.

*****

ABT: Ashton's Sylvia showcases the entire company

Ivy Lin, 10th July

The audience walked out of the theater feeling airborne and filled with the kind of joy you only feel after a truly special performance. Sylvia is an absolute treasure.

*****

Ballet Central at the Linbury: keen to prove its versatility

Deborah Weiss, 17th June

Ballet Central provides an extremely varied programme of new and old, classical and contemporary dance, with plenty of aplomb.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

A Month in the Country the bittersweet centrepiece of The Royal Ballet's excellent Ashton triple bill