REVIEW: Coppélia at Roses Theatre
This afternoon I took Daughter Seven to watch her very first ballet, the Saturday matinee of Coppélia at Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury. A tomboy at heart, she isn’t a dancer, and I wondered how she would cope with two hours of storytelling through classical dance, music and costume. I was equally concerned that I hadn’t properly researched the plot in order to help guide her/us through the three Acts.
Luckily, Coppélia is a simple and beautiful plot, full of comedy and humour. The story of an eccentric toy maker, a man’s infatuation with a doll, and a woman’s desperate and ingenious efforts to get her man down the aisle on her wedding day, appealed to us both. It had us smiling throughout, with the gorgeous yellow, pink and spring green costumes, engaging characters, and wonderful music bringing to life the magical world of Coppélia. Myself and my daughter were hooked into the mischief from the start.
While I thought I’d miss a large scale orchestra, before long I realised that for this performance I didn’t. Hats off to this small but perfectly formed international ballet company, bringing youth, glamour, and immense skill to our stage; full praise for their athleticism and dedicated hard work.
This is the first time I’ve watched a ballet out of Christmas season, and indeed my first seeing the Vienna Festival Ballet, but this was definitely the ballet to see; a vibrant, cheerful and colourful production to propel us into the summer. Seven and I look forward already to Vienna Festival Ballet’s return in October for Snow White, when we will be sure to bring along the rest of the family. By which point, Seven will be five months into her ballet lessons.
Rubalie
Explore Gloucestershire
18 May 2019
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