It was fitting that Scottish Ballet opened The Snow Queen at Eden Court on Burns Night – because this was sheer poetry in motion.
Romantic, dramatic, magical, lyrical and with flashes of brilliant humour, it was everything you would expect from our Bard.
But the real storyteller at work here was choreographer Christopher Hampson who has brought Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale to glorious life in a work that is full of sublime moments which will live for free in your head for a long time.
It’s a story of love, jealousy and loss with a sprinkling of enchantment that takes you where all fairy stories end – with a happy ending. And Chris – Scottish Ballet’s CEO and artistic director – tells it all with a clear narrative that carries the audience along every step of the way.
Enchantment at work in The Snow Queen at Eden Court
It’s obvious enchantment is at work from the opening scene, cleverly played out behind a scrim with inventive projection work helping move things along. The Summer Princess abandons her sister, the Snow Queen, to seek her true love – leaving behind her sibling nursing her wrath to keep it warm.
In doing so the princess – now an edgy pickpocket known as Lexi – sets in train a motion of events that see young lovers Gerda and Kai caught in the crossfire.
It is also the launching pad for a series of stunning set pieces, effortlessly essayed by the talented dancers of Scottish Ballet set to a lush score of Rimsky Korsakov’s music.
From the romantic duet of Gerda – a delightful turn from Anna Williams who brings innocence but determination to the role and Kai – the athletically elegant Harvey Littlefield – to huge ensemble pieces, The Snow Queen is a treat for the senses.
The arrival of a circus in town is a cue for both acrobatics and slapstick humour in a sequence that – literally lights up the stage.
But the spectacle reaches its pinnacle in the opening of the second act set in a Travellers’ Camp in the forest. The set is simply jaw-dropping, all full moon and stars through stark tree branches, campfires and caravans with reekin’ lums. Cinematic, that’s the word for it.
Settle in and lose yourself in the spectacle of the Snow Queen
And that’s even before we get to the earthy, vibrant ensemble dance that brings a real joy of life to the stage. All you can do is settle in and lose yourself in the music, movement and spectacle of a dance company working at the height of its powers.
The solo performances are just as good. Marge Hendrick is mesmerisingly graceful as the haughty ice queen who will do whatever it takes to get her sister back. Her duet with Kai is a joy up to and including some gasp-out-loud lifts.
Star turn of the night, though, was Rishan Benjamin as the Summer Princess/Lexi. One minute she’s all playfully regal, the next all sass and menace, but always with her heart in the right place. Whether it’s royal or rogue, you can’t take your eyes off her when she moves.
The talent on show isn’t just down to the dancers. The costumes are just as inspired, be it the 40s style dress of townspeople through to the sinuous loping wolves or the stuff-of-nightmares Jack Frosts.
The Snow Queen is one of Scottish Ballet’s great works
It’s all a heady mix that demonstrates why The Snow Queen more than deserves its place in the pantheon of Scottish Ballet’s great works.
As one Robert Burns Esq might say “Well are you worthy of a grace as long as my arm”.
Scottish Ballet’s The Snow Queen is at Eden Court in Inverness until Saturday January 28. For more information and tickets go to eden-court.co.uk
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