Ballet
The Nutcracker
★★★★★ A Christmas Cracker:
With enough spectacle and showmanship to keep kids big and small spellbound, Scottish Ballet’s revival of Peter Darrel’s Nutcracker at the Festival Theatre and on tour is the perfect Christmas present.
Death In Venice
★★★★☆ Charming:
Death in Venice, Thomas Mann’s 1912 novella, is a graceful spin in a dance theatre adaptation full of character from Edinburgh Ballet Circle.
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes
★★★★☆ Modern elegance:
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, on national tour and at the Festival Theatre all week, is an exquisite celebration of classical ballet with Bourne’s typical modern twist.
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes
★★★★☆Beautiful and dangerous:
Love, lust, obsession and despair are given colourful and vigorous life in Matthew Bourne’s adaptation of The Red Shoes, touring to the Festival Theatre this week.
Swan Lake
★★★★☆ Love shock:
Bold and surprising, David Dawson has completely reworked Swan Lake for Scottish Ballet, cutting away the fat of its fusty baggage, although he discards some elements of clarity at the same time.
Snow White
★★★★☆ Distinctive:
There’s a macabre twist to a classic fairytale in the second of a trilogy of adaptations by balletLORENT, co-produced with Northern Stage.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Enchanting:
Scottish Ballet’s Cinderella is an emotional and visual treat, which lights up and enchants the Festival Theatre’s stage until 31 December.
Live rehearsal for SB
Scottish Ballet’s Streetcar rehearsal streamed live:
Scottish Ballet is live-streaming half an hour of its rehearsals for A Streetcar Named Desire, ahead of the revival of its 2012 award-winning production.
Coppelia
✭✭✭✩✩ Playful and quirky:
There is much to delight and entertain in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of Coppelia, playing at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Yet, it lacks convincing depth and structure to fully deliver its potential.