This thirty minute ballet presented by the Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet school has a wonderfully creative way of storytelling that doesn’t fail to charm.
First performed in 2010, the Royal Ballet School’s production of Prokofiev’s fairytale is cheeky, charming and lively from start to finish, while offering a great showcase for the rising talent that can be found.
By combining the spoken word with Prokofiev’s distinctive and playful music, Peter and the Wolf is filled with plenty of opportunities for creativity that really is made the most of through Matthew Hart’s choreography.
What is lovely about this piece of ballet is the way in which it ensures that both the music and dancing are accessible for younger audience members. For example the way in which each character is assigned an instrument from the orchestra such as the bird is characterised by the flute or the cat by the clarinet, really grabs the attention. Meanwhile, the way in which elements like the forest or the pond are represented by the dancers is also wonderfully imaginative.
Matthew Hart’s choreography is wonderfully playful and joyous to watch, highlighting each element of the story perfectly. The younger members of the cast do well to put heaps of personality into their performances – in particular Charlotte Edmonds as the Duck and Laurine Muccioli as the bird were really delightful to watch. But there was also fun to found through Sergei Polunin’s sinister but exaggerated performance as the wolf that worked really well, performing his movements as cleanly as you would hope.
Visually, it is a colourful spectacle – with the costumes set really able to catch the eye and helps to set the scene perfectly with a contemporary flair that is immensely stylish. Everything about the production works in perfect harmony to make for a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend half an hour.
By Emma Clarendon
Peter and the Wolf is available to watch through the Royal Opera House’s Youtube channel.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐