Swan Lake, a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, tells the story of Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with Odette, a woman cursed to transform into a swan at daybreak by an owl-like wizard called Rothbart. When the wizard finds out about the prince’s love for Odette, the swan maiden, he tricks him into instead professing his love for Rothbart’s daughter, Odile. When the Prince discovers the plot, he battles Rothbart for Odette’s freedom, which he successfully wins by killing Rothbart.
The Mergaliyev Classical Ballet do a great job of portraying this moving story, pairing talented dancers with gorgeous sets to create an enthralling narrative. The two highlights of the cast were certainly Nilay Tahiroglu as Odette and Odile, and Marek Bobosik as Rothbart. Tahiroglu was magnetic as both Odette, the delicate swan maiden who slowly opened up to the lovestruck Prince, and the cunning Odile, acidic and confident in her movements as she tricked the Prince into falling for her instead of Odette.
To play two characters, seemingly identical but with such different motives and emotions, is a tough job and Tahiroglu approaches it with talent and nuance that makes for an incredibly engaging performance. Bobosik too shows incredible talent as the otherworldly villain. He was amazing to watch, especially in his solo after the first interval, commanding the stage as if it was his own.
The jester, played by Kadir Okurer, added some well received comedy to the scenes in the castle, and was also very helpful in communicating the story more clearly than some of the other dancers. Unfortunately, Cristo Vivancos as Prince Siegfried was less convincing. His dancing and movement was very talented, but felt a little directionless, especially during his duets with Tahiroglu. Vivancos did not portray much emotion, especially in his face, which hardly moved; a stark contrast again to Tahiroglu who played Odette with so much complexity and tenderness in both her face and body.
The ensemble were on the whole very good, especially Kira Ewing who appeared in a number of smaller group dances and always shone. However, there were multiple times that the ensemble seemed out of time with each other in a way that did not seem intentional. Furthermore, the stage often felt rather crowded – it could be that the Lyceum was smaller than the stages the company had prepared for, but there was usually empty space towards the sides and back that meant the dancers in the middle did not have the space to truly show off their skill.
Yassaui Mergaliyev’s direction was good, though could have done with more emphasis on the story. Although it is hard to tell a story with no dialogue, many of the characters and plot points would have been more engaging if they were given more focus, and the story was not really effectively communicated. For example, the moment where we see Odette dancing through the window in the second part was so exciting and a great twist, but was easy to miss due to the placement of the dancers, and the rather passive reactions from the Prince and other characters. However, it was still very enjoyable to watch, and Mergaliyev evidently has passion and experience that suit his role as Artistic Director.
The orchestra was an enormous highlight of the show. Conducted skilfully, they successfully conveyed the power of Tchaikovsky’s emotional score, the oboe and violins especially. They were a joy to listen to, and I only wish they were named in the programme! The music of the ballet is so famous but in their hands, still sounded so fresh and delicate.
Technically, the show was also extremely well done. The sets immediately conveyed exactly where the scenes were taking place, and were beautifully painted – Act 2 especially. The costumes as well were gorgeous and I loved Rothbart’s outfits, as well as the dresses the women wore in Act 2. The leopard print trims on the capes and skirts were fun and felt suitably opulent and colourful for the music and intended atmosphere. Rothbart’s makeup was suitably otherworldly, and it would have been nice to see other characters in makeup as interesting as his was.
Overall, this was a beautiful show with some truly standout performances from both dancers and musicians, further enhanced by fantastic set and costume. It would have benefitted from more direction in terms of story, but was visually impressive and lovely to experience.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Mergaliyev Classical Ballet’s Swan Lake is playing at the Lyceum Theatre until January 11th, & touring the U.K. until January 26th
