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BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET IN LONDONby Jane Simpson
We see a lot of the Birmingham Royal Ballet in London these days. Following a very successful few weeks over Christmas with their Nutcracker, they were back recently for 2 weeks at Sadler's Wells, opening with David Bintley's Edward ll. Originally created for the Stuttgart company, this is a two act piece based on the Christopher Marlowe play of the same name, telling the story of the 14th century king of England whose passion for his friend Piers Gaveston led to civil war and the downfall and death of the king - and most of the other characters too. It has been on view in Birmingham and on tour for a couple of seasons now; its reputation as a bold and exciting work had preceded it, and it was greeted with a lot of publicity and enthusiasm.
I found it disappointing and mystifying. The drama centres on the love affair between Edward and Gaveston, and it is certainly in the scenes between these two that the ballet has its best moments: but to me it seems as if Bintley, supposedly breaking new ground in the depiction of homosexual love, in fact backs off from any true confrontation. Most of the rest of the characters don't come clearly to life - best was the Grim Reaper of David Justin - and though the lighting and sets combine to make some of the action scenes very dramatic, for me it was all curiously unmoving. That was till the last ten minutes, a graphically detailed scene of Edward's humiliation and death, which made me extremely uncomfortable - not for the horror of what we were seeing, but in wondering why we were seeing it, and why Bintley felt he needed to dwell for so long on what could have been conveyed with equal power in a fraction of the time.
The triple bill which followed, consisting of the revival of Ninette de Valois' The Prospect before Us, Bintley's Protecting Veil, and Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room, was a much better evening. The loving reconstruction of the de Valois piece, to mark her 100th birthday last summer, is an almost total success, and suits this primarily demi-caractere company perfectly. The cast list includes such well known names as Vestris, Noverre and Didelot, all well danced and very funny - historical accuracy not being one of the aims of the ballet. The only problem, for me, lies in the casting of the central figure of Mr O'Reilly (one of the theatre owners whose difficulties form the basis of the plot). Tailor made for Robert Helpmann in the 40s, it is here danced by Michael O'Hare. He is amusing, charming and innocent but I feel the whole ballet would be given a lift if he could bring a sharper touch to the character. It all seemed to go down well but there was rather subdued applause at the end - I suspect many who'd come for one of the other works on the programme couldn't quite figure it out.
The Protecting Veil is Bintley in a completely different mood and mode. He describes the ballet as an 'icon', based on the life of the Virgin Mary. The score is a piece for cello and orchestra by John Tavener - one of the success stories of classical music in the last 10 years, it is phenomenally popular with both New Age and Catholic adherents. Many dance critics, though, derided it for its lack of incident and general 'undanceability', which certainly make the choreographer's task a hard one - probably one of the things that made it appeal to Bintley, never one to take the easy option. On my first viewing, at the end of a long programme, it did indeed feel like a substantial slice of eternity; but this time I found it far more approachable and couldn't believe how soon the curtain came down. Five female dancers in turn illustrate different phases of the Virgin's life, with five men who at times can be seen as Archangel, Joseph and Christ, but there is little explicit storytelling: it is the encircling atmosphere of the work that makes its effect, even for a non-believer like me. I am in a very small minority but to my eyes this is a bolder and better ballet than Edward ll.
In the Upper Room is BRB's first excursion into Tharp country - this was the company premiere - and on the whole it is more successful than either of the Royal Ballet's attempts has been. It's always an exciting piece to watch, and looks very fine on the big new Sadler's Wells stage. The question, of course, is how well the dancers can adapt to the unfamiliar style, and not surprisingly not everyone had got it right on the first night. Best, for me, was Sergiu Poboreznic, who cast aside his usual somewhat inhibited manner and really let rip. Also to be admired was the company's latest sensation, Nao Sakuma, as the leading 'pointe shoes' woman - she had taken over at quite short notice from injured principal Monica Zamora and looked poised and confident. Some of the rest of the cast need to loosen up a bit - quite a lot, in fact, in some cases; it will be interesting to see the piece again when they've danced it a few more times.