Being more an attender of triple bills at the ROH than full length ballets, this new Christopher Wheeldon piece was refreshingly unusual for me. The cast list helpfully had a synopsis but the dance and choreography were expressive enough almost to make explanation unnecessary. However, only almost as the story is fairly dotty. Leontes, King of Sicilia, becomes obsessed by the notion that his pregnant wife Hermione is having an affair with his friend, the visiting Polixenes.
Polixenes returns to Bohemia; Hermione has the baby - a daughter - which also fetches up in Bohemia.and is brought up by shepherds. Hermione goes into a swoon and their son Maximillius dies from the stress of it all. Leontes starts to regret.
Fast forward sixteen years and it is time for the daughter, Perdita, to fall in love with Florizel, the son of Polixenes. Her true identity becomes apparent, the two young lovers sail to Sicilia, followed by Polixenes. He has a reconciliation with Leontes and the feel good factor is capped off by Hermione coming back to life from a statue, having been in suspended animation for the intervening years.
The night I went featured an A++ casting rather than the A+++ (Watson, McRae, Cuthbertson and Lamb) that the critics had seen. I'd certainly go again but try and catch the mega-stars.
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