Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty – Liverpool Empire

Thanks to years of experience in dance and choreography (and with an MBE to boot), you know any production with an affiliation to Matthew Bourne will pack a punch. And Sleeping Beauty is no exception.

This show was expertly performed by New Adventures, a multi-award-winning UK dance-theatre group, who have become synonymous in the world of dance for storytelling with a unique theatrical twist. Sleeping Beauty – now in its 10th year – was the fastest-selling production in New Adventures’ history, and it’s easy to see why.

Described as “a gothic love story”, Sleeping Beauty clearly has many an inspiration across film, TV and literature. The main inspiration for the story is less Disney and much more original folklore, as the story weaves narrative strands from different iterations of the not-so-classic Sleeping Beauty story that claims origins as far back as 1330.

The curtains open to a barren King and Queen being given the gift of a longed-for baby girl by an evil fairy, who curses the young princess Aurora to prick her finger on a rose when she comes of age. Once this twisted premonition comes to pass, the princess sleeps for 100 years, until she is awakened by true love’s kiss. However, add into the mix vampires, spells, and the endless fight between good and evil, you’ve got a true gothic melodrama in the making.

With dark twists to the tale, it’s easy to see the baroque, gothic and in some places overtly sensual themes emerging and developing as the story progresses.  Darkness permeates almost every area of the story (apart from the overt innocence of the leading lady); however, understanding that the piece needs some much-needed comic relief, the albeit brief introduction of the puppet baby at the beginning and end was a masterstroke in physical comedy.

Underpinned by a truly spectacular score by Tchaikovsky, this production has everything you’d expect from a gothic, supernatural love story – stunning sets, beautifully ethereal costumes, surreal pyrotechnics, and evocative lighting. While all the dancers in this cast are supremely cast, a huge shoutout must be given to the prima ballerina, Cordelia Braithwaite, who danced her role as Princess Aurora flawlessly. She has an effortless grace that commands attention from the whole audience, and her posture at times was almost other-worldly in its sheer beauty.

This production is unmissable – showing at Liverpool Empire until 11th March 2023. https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire/

Reviewer: Hannah Wilde

Reviewed: 7th March 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★