Glorious debuts in Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée at The Royal Ballet

Luca Acri as Colas and Anna Rose O’Sullivan in La Fille mal gardée

Liam Boswell as Alain in Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée

Luca Acri as Colas and Anna Rose O’Sullivan as Lise in La Fille mal gardée

Natalia Osipova as Lise and Patricio Revé as Colas in Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée

Bennet Gartside as Widow Simone and Natalia Osipova as Lise in Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée

Patricio Revé as Colas in Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée

By Deborah Weiss, 25 May 2026

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“she might have been a cantankerous old widow but we absolutely fell in love with her”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 23 May 2026

La Fille mal gardée (Sir Frederick Ashton)

The Royal Ballet

José Salazar, Conductor

Osbert Lancaster, Set Designer, Costume Designer

John B. Read, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Anna Rose O'Sullivan, Dancer

Luca Acri, Dancer

James Hay, Dancer

Liam Boswell, Dancer

Joshua Junker, Dancer

Natalia Osipova, Dancer

Patricio Revé, Dancer

Bennet Gartside, Dancer

Taisuke Nakao, Dancer

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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Deborah Weiss

Deb joined Bachtrack in 2022 and commissions reviews and writing on ballet and dance. She was Royal Ballet School-trained and is a former principal dancer for companies including London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) and Bayerisches Staatsballett. She has been writing for more than 30 years – publications have included Dancing Times, DanceTabs, Dance for You and Dance Europe. She also interviews for Voices of British Ballet, an oral archive of people who have worked in the industry in the UK. In addition to her writing, since 2016 she has been facilitating programmes that support victims of domestic abuse. Deb is passionate about her rescue dog, Bruce, and daughters (not in that order), swims a mile at least five days a week and is an avid reader.