The Sleeping Beauty
There are few venues capable of doing justice to the sheer scale of The Sleeping Beauty. Thankfully, the Royal Albert Hall is one of them. Making its first appearance at this iconic venue, the English National Ballet feels perfectly at home beneath its vast dome.
The concert hall is transformed into a storybook kingdom through expressive choreography, glorious music and striking visual design. At the heart of this are Charlotte MacMillan's sweeping digital backdrops, which conjure sprawling forests, grand palaces and enchanted landscapes. Beyond their visual impact, they provide a captivating focal point during scene changes, ensuring the momentum never falters, while their rhythm and movement feel perfectly in step with Tchaikovsky's score.
Nicholas Georgiadis' costume designs add another layer of richness to the production, with characters evoking the splendour of Louis XIV's court through intricate detail and colour. The only figure to noticeably break from this world is the villainous Carabosse, whose striking silhouette recalls Elizabeth I, making her feel unsettlingly out of time, as though she exists outside the rules governing everyone else. It is an inspired visual choice that immediately sets her apart from the fairy-tale elegance surrounding her.
Tchaikovsky's score, performed live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, fills the Albert Hall magnificently. Every sweeping waltz and triumphant crescendo is matched by choral dances of remarkable precision, the corps de ballet moving with an effortless synchronicity that never loses its sense of joy. The soloists are equally impressive, displaying moments of remarkable strength, particularly from Aurora (portrayed by Anna Nevzorova), who performed movements of extraordinary precision and control, combining technical brilliance with a graceful lightness. I would also like to highlight the Prince (portrayed by Davi Ramos), whose dancing possesses an elegance that makes the choreography appear completely effortless.
Some of the evening's most memorable images come from its staging. The boat sequence especially achieves a surprising sense of scale inside a venue not traditionally associated with ballet. The digital scenery is more than decoration; it behaves like a moving painting, responding to the music and deepening the atmosphere without distracting from the performers. By the final wedding celebrations, the production has created such a complete world that it becomes easy to forget you are sitting inside one of London's most recognisable concert halls.
The only slight reservation is that the production's ambition occasionally comes at the expense of the story. Some narrative moments feel hurried in order to allow space for the more elaborate dance sequences, and while these are often breathtaking, they sometimes leave the characters and emotional beats slightly behind.
The Sleeping Beauty remains a beautifully crafted production, where the artistry of the dancers, the strength of the design and the power of Tchaikovsky's score combine to create a memorable evening of ballet.
Theatre: Royal Albert Hall
Reviewer: Ben Cooper
Date: 26/06/2026
Stars: 4
