Stage Review: Sleeping Beauty, Manchester Opera house

Young and old were entranced by the sheer brilliance of this production. Spanish dancer Tamara Rojo is new to the artistic director role.

But her passion and eye for detail shone through in this polished performance. The production is split into different acts and contains two intervals. But the audience never lost its enthusiasm for this lovely tale.

Accompanied by my son Ruaridh (5) who loves the ballet, we were soon hooked on the opulent costumes and the first class choreography by Kenneth McMillan. The production features some of Tchaikovsky’s finest music and it’s a tale to touch the hardest heart.

This favourite fairytale tells of princess Aurora who lives in an enchanted castle where fairies bestow her with gifts of beauty, temperament, purity, joy, wit and generosity.

But the wicked fairy Carabosse puts a spell on Aurora, to prick her finger and die on her 16th birthday. The beautiful and kind lilac fairy casts a spell to counter the curse and sends Aurora to sleep for 100 years. But only a true love’s kiss can waken her.

The brilliance of the performance, the ballet skills and the colour of the set and costumes had us all entranced – bravo!

Sleeping Beauty performed by The English National Ballet at Manchester Opera House. Logo onto www.ballet.org.uk