The Sleeping Beauty, performed at Lyric Theatre, QPAC, was a delightful evening where the audience enjoyed the retelling of an age old tale with some of the finest talent in Queensland. This performance was a fantastic comeback for Queensland Ballet after a long 2020 made longer with the onset of COVID-19. Neneka Yoshida, who was promoted to Principal Artist in Queensland Ballet this year, took the stage as Princess Aurora on opening night and was completely majestic in her role. Other stand out performances include Georgia Swan as The Black Fairy and Rian Thompson and Sophie Zoricic who played Catalabutte and Lady Florine respectively. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra scored the performance and in combination with the talented team working tirelessly behind the scenes it is safe to say this was a night to remember.
The story starts when the curtains are drawn to reveal a dimly lit set with a silhouette of The King holding baby Princess Aurora in the air. The five fairies, in costumes designed by Garry Harris, representing beauty, wit, grace, song and wisdom, are in attendance along with eligible suitors for the christening of Princess Aurora. Just when you think everything is swell, the Wicked Fairy comes into the picture to steal the spotlight. The Wicked Fairy places a curse on Princess Aurora which is modified by the Wisdom fairy so that instead of the Princess dying once her finger is pricked she will instead fall into a deep sleep for 100 years until a Prince breaks the spell with the kiss of true love.
Many years later Prince Désiré, played by Victor Estévez, appears on stage and stumbles upon the Wisdom Fairy. Once Wisdom gives Prince Désiré the rundown, he gets the chance to dance with Princess Aurora’s spirit and this is where we start to see the love story emerge. The Prince becomes set on finding the Princess, to rescue her from her slumber. Once he locates the palace he thinks all is well until The Black Fairy and her attendants catch him off guard. The Prince desperately fights off the villainous Carabosse with his mighty sword in what appears to be a frenzied dance. The Black Fairy transforms into a terrifying black dragon yet the Prince is victorious.
Watching the climactic moment when the Prince kisses the Princess to break the spell made me realise how much I enjoyed this performance from Queensland Ballet. It was not only the set design, wardrobe and lighting but the sheer love the performers and the production crew have clearly put into the performance. A special mention goes to The Blue Birds played by Lucy Green and Kohei Iwamoto. The Sleeping Beauty was a world class performance with phenomenal talent. I would highly recommend taking along your friends and family to see this classic story in a new light. Be sure to learn more about Giving Day coming up on June 24th by following this link and give back to Queensland Ballet so they can keep on giving to audiences for many years to come: https://www.queenslandballet.com.au/support/giving-day-2021
Review: Joanna Letic
Photo: Tamara Hanton (Queensland Ballet)