The Stage

Giselle/Men Y Men

Published Thursday 29 October 2009 at 11:40 by Chris High

The English National Ballet certainly knows the meaning of the word big, and everything about this, their 361st performance of Giselle, must surely be as sumptuous as any of its predecessors.

A scene from Giselle at the Liverpool Empire Photo: Patrick Baldwin

With sets that are grandly imposing, instilling just the right amount of fantasy and, in the Second Act, foreboding, and costumes that gloriously unite the rustic of Act I with the macabre of Act II, it is naturally the performances that linger long in the memory.

Men Y Men, the production’s prelude piece performed by the male members of the company on a stripped-down stage decked in black, is choreographed by Wayne Eagling with music by Rachmaninoff and is an invigorating taster for what is to come.

Giselle itself is a timeless masterpiece of betrayal and ultimately forgiveness. Yet with Daria Klimentova in the title role and Esteban Berlanga as Albrecht, nominated for this year’s ENB Emerging Dancer Award, it is also a production that is sprinkled with just a touch more magic dust. Both are sublime in their poise and grace.

Added to these are the malevolence of Daniel Kraus as Hilarian, the thwarted lover of Giselle, whose very presence demands attention, and Jenna Lee’s Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, whose other-worldliness is a master class in understatement and charm.

The interruption of the performance by a fire alarm, thanks to “over exuberant special effects”, was frustrating. However, the dancers snapped the audience back into the moment with remarkable ease, a testament to the skill of those involved, marking this production of Giselle out as an absolute joy to watch.