Swan Lake at London Coliseum Review
The State Ballet of Georgia comes to London for 15 performances only
If you are in search for a night of enchanting entertainment set to an iconic score, then look no further as the State Ballet of Georgia brings an all-new production of Swan Lake to the London stage for the first time.
Hailing from the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, the State Ballet of Georgia is led by Artistic Director Nina Ananiashvili, winner of four international ballet awards as the only ballerina to hold all four prestigious honours. Needless to say, the group brings with them a wealth of experience under established direction; pair that with a title as famous as Swan Lake to find guaranteed spectacle.
Opening with a lush-sounding overture, played live throughout the entire show by the English National Opera Orchestra, the curtain raises to reveal a royal dance in celebration of young Prince Siegfried's (Oleh Lihai) birthday. Set against Vyacheslav Okunev's illustration-inspired scenic design, it perfectly utilises depth and perception to create a picturesque canvas that stretches to the vast Coliseum stage. The celebrations however, are stopped short when The Queen (Ina Azmaiparashvili), Siegfried's mother instructs her son to choose his future wife. In dismay, Siegfried and his friends head out to the lake when night dawns in search for the famed Swans, where they are soon revealed to be cursed young maidens, one of whom is the Prince's lover-to-be Odette (Nino Samadashvili) - marking the beginning of a fantastical love story told not through dialogue, but elaborate dance and movement.
From the very first scene, there is an immediately obvious sense of skill demonstrated by the group, from the corps de ballet all the way to the principals, each taking turns to perform leaps, turns and lifts then bowing to acknowledge extended audience applause after each passage; something not frequently seen in the theatre scene.
Underscoring, accompanying and uplifting all the onstage action below is the English National Opera Orchestra, who breathes a new life to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's iconic score. Whether experiencing the score for the first or hundred-and-first time, the way the composer skilfully manipulates melodic sequences, through to twists on harmonic progressions or the extra sprinkling of dissonance for tension, never fails to delight even the most infrequent listeners of classical music.
The orchestra playing, on the other hand, may well be a performance of its own, as brass instruments blast out grand themes, strings lead on virtuosic melodies and the woodwinds kick off the instantly recognisable leitmotif, known to many as the central theme of the ballet; every instrument is heard crystal clear, even the crisp tinging from a triangle or the occasional glockenspiel too; all of which in Alexey Fadeechev and Nina Ananiashvilli's carefully choreographed movements fluidly performed by not just principals, but the astounding corps de ballet to create one dazzling scene after another.
This production might not be the most radical reimagining of the classic (therefore at moments playing at a slightly slower pace than desirable), but without overly complex sets or blinding lighting sequences, encourages audiences to concentrate on the nuanced craft of each individual performer and their response to anything from waltzes to fierce passages, demonstrating evident versatility.
Ballet demands a combination of skill, discipline and collaboration from within the company extending to the music and orchestra - and the State Ballet of Georgia embodies these qualities beautifully to promise a charming evening.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Swan Lake plays at the London Coliseum for 15 performances only until 8 Sep. For more information and to book tickets, visit the venue website.
NB All casting correct at the reviewed performance and is subject to rotation and change. For a full casting schedule, visit the London Coliseum website.
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the press representatives for the show. All views are my own, without any input or approval from the producers or venue. Standard tickets are priced from £19 (may include restricted and side views; £4.50 booking fee applies), with £25 rush tickets released at 10am on each performance day on the TodayTix app.
♾️ There are no sudden loud noises throughout the show. The house lights fade gently at the start of each act, with blackouts at the end of each scene as the curtain lowers. The music is played live at a consistent volume throughout and amplified for the upper levels.