I first saw William Spencer’s enthralling take of Delibes’ Coppelia in June 2019 and with the assistance of the re-imagined score by Aaron Clingham, this time around is a pure delight. Sexy male to male eroticism, this is a story told in dance of infatuation, breakups and then making up.
The dexterity and fluidity of the four dancers – Hayden Tierney, Thomas Buckley, Jack Buchanan and Lewis Rimmer as Freddie, DR C, Max and Simon respectively – are bewitching, stylish and totally masculine and this linked with a wonderful and forthright sense of camaraderie made for a magical ballet.
With a selection from Tchaikovsky to get the evening going, the familiar music from the Nutcracker (made famous by a TV ad for a certain fruit and nut chocolate bar) warmed the dancers up.
These guys used every inch of the stage to put across emotions of bashfulness, playfulness, sexual attraction and desire. The jazz element added into the score worked very well plus the way the four dancers created extraordinary body shapes partnered with the more traditional ballet steps. Completely captivating and made even more special by the skills shown by all concerned.
*****
Coppelia and The Supermarket Suite runs to Saturday 14th August as part of the The Garden Theatre Summer Season at St Gabriel’s Hall, Boys Club, Churchill Gardens, Pimlico, London SW1V 3AA.
Tickets from www.gardentheatre.co.uk
Click on the Coppelia and The Supermarket Suite banners on the Boyz site for scheduled performance times and dates.
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