BRB's Don Quixote brightens even the sunniest of days

Emma Price and Javier Rojas (Gypsy Couple)

Tom Rogers (Don Quixote) and Yvette Knight (Dulcinea)

Brandon Lawrence (Espada) with Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet

By Graham Watts, 10 July 2022

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“one could feel the heat and sense the scent of citrus!”

Reviewed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 7 July 2022

Don Quixote (Carlos Acosta, Marius Petipa)

Birmingham Royal Ballet

Paul Murphy, Conductor

Tim Hatley, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Peter Mumford, Lighting Designer

Royal Ballet Sinfonia

Yaoqian Shang, Dancer

Max Maslen, Dancer

Jonathan Payn, Dancer

Laura Day, Dancer

Kit Holder, Dancer

Alexander Yap, Dancer

Sofia Liñares, Dancer

Lucy Waine, Dancer

Enrique Bejarano Vidal, Dancer

Acosta's Don Quixote for BRB: polished but not quite enough panache

Jonathan Gray, 23rd April

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote for Birmingham Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells with polished but low-key interpretations across the board.

***11

Nutcracker in Havana: a novel take on the popular ballet

Graham Watts, 1st November

A unique take on a well-worn favourite, Carlos Acosta has done a good job on his Havana based Nutcracker.

***11

Carlos Acosta's full-length Carmen is hot but it doesn't sizzle

Deborah Weiss, 2nd July

Carlos Acosta's Carmen is full of exuberance and first class dancing but it doesn't quite set the stage on fire.

***11

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote thrills at the National Ballet of Canada

Gianmarco Segato, 1st June

Superstar dancer Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote debuts at the National Ballet of Canada, showcasing thrilling dancing in a sumptuous, sun-filled Spanish setting.

*****

Carlos Acosta: On Before inspires rapturous standing ovations

Kathy Elgin, 16th February

Carlos Acosta can still draw in the crowds and this carefully chosen programme is well worth watching.

***11

The Royal Ballet's Don Quixote delivers a crowd-pleasing romp

Vikki Jane Vile, 30th September

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote is a dazzling production which stands out for its lack of filler moments. There are no slow crowd scenes, just flat out dancing.

****1

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Graham Watts

Graham Watts is a freelance dance writer and critic writing regularly for Dancing Times, Dance Europe, Danza Europa, and many more publications. He regularly writes features for Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum and La Scala. Chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle in the United Kingdom and of the UK National Dance Awards he has interviewed many of the greatest names in dance including Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasiliev, Boris Eifman, Alexei Ratmansky, Andris Liepa, Sir Peter Wright, David Bintley and Dame Gillian Lynne. When not involved in dance Graham is a keen fencer, and has captained the British Sabre team.

Heat and citrus: BRB's Don Quixote brightens even the sunniest of days