The Royal Ballet presents their latest production of the ballet 'Anastasia' at The Royal Opera House in London, online. The ballet was originally a one-act piece performed in 1967 and choreographed by the legendary Sir Kenneth McMillan. He later extended the ballet to three acts and this version was first shown in 1971. The original one act becoming the third act. The online streaming was the Royal Ballet's 2016 production still following McMillan's original choreography.
The idea behind the ballet, and indeed the ballet's story, is that of Anna Anderson, an American lady who was incarcerated in a lunatic asylum as she truly believed herself to be Anastasia, the only surving member, and youngest daughter to Tsar Nicholas II, of the Russian ruling Romanov dynasty after the Russian Revolution of 1918.
The first two acts deal with Anastasia. We are shown her family and her luxurious lifestyle. We are in Russia at the turn of the 20th century and the oppulence and decandence of Russian high society as the Tsar and his family and entourage are at first happy, and then start preparing for a war, and finally find themselves in the midst of the uprising and that uprising's main targets! The third act (the origianl one-act ballet) shows a very different picture. We see Anna, short hair and 'mad', in a hopsital for the mentally ill, and she is shown archive footage of the Tsar, Anastasia, and the revolution, of killings and of deprivation. Through her distorted and disorded nightmares she remembers the death of her husband, the assassinations, her attempted suicide... and yet, all the time her belief in who she claims to be never waivers.
The first two acts (played on stage before the interval) were the epitome of traditional ballet and were executed with sheer beauty and poise. Despite the subject matter - all ballets have darkness and tragedy - we were wowed by the costumes, the mise-en-scene, and the grace and skill of the dancers. The music used for the first half of the ballet was also very apt and uplifting, Tchaikovsky. Not only a contemporary (dying in 1893) Russian composer, but also renowned for his ballet music. The final act (after the interval) however was completely different and this style of ballet-theatre was where, to my mind, McMillan always excelled. This is a drama, and we are watching a tragic story unfold. Somewhat abstract, somewhat avant-garde, but it's a spectacle that you can't shy away from such is the intensity. McMillan also chose to use the music of Bohuslav Martinu for this. Again, an excellent choice, as Martinu was to classical music what McMillan was to ballet. they fit together like a glove, and it was incredible.
Ballet, for me at least, seems to put much less emphasis on the acting - the telling of the story - than it does on the dancing. Particularly with classical ballet... just as long as the steps are executed with precision and the dancers are perfect in their execution of the choreography, then anything else on top of that is a bonus! Every time I watch a ballet I am longing for a connection to, a sympathy with, the cast. I rarely find one. Natalia Osipova however, (Anastasia / Anna) was that rare exception. Her performance, expecially in the final act, was electric. The filmed close-ups (not available from a theatre seat) were an added delight, and her characterisation and concentration very powerful.
This ballet is available on The Royal Opera House's YouTube channel until the 29th May.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 21/5/20
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