Le Corsaire @ Mayflower, Southampton
I’ll preface this review by saying one thing… I don’t know very much about ballet! I love it though and I’m learning fast thanks to the consistently excellent work of English National Ballet. Of course it’s easy to write about Sleeping Beauty (as I did earlier this year), or The Nutcracker. The stories are familiar even if the dance is new. Le Corsaire on the other hand is a whole new experience for me!
For those unfamiliar with this lesser known ballet, it’s based on a poem by Bryon and tells the story of the titular corsair Conrad as he returns from sea and falls in love with Medora, the ward of the slave trader Landenkem, who is sold to the Pasha to join his harem. You can guess the rest, but really the plot here is just the driver to some wonderful dancing.
As Conrad, Vadim Muntagirov projects the image of masculinity, leaping about the stage and seeming to hang effortlessly in the air whenever he leaves his feet. He’s ably assisted by his first mate Birbanto, danced with a strutting arrogance by Yonah Acosta whose cocky characterisation is the perfect counterpoint to Muntagirov’s fluid grace. As the slave Ali, Junor Souza gives a wonderful performance, with a natural charisma that leaps off the stage and makes his every movement a joy to behold and ensures he shines just the tiniest bit brighter than his colleagues.
The real treat here, and I’ve touched on it briefly above, is the depth of character on display. Even when dancers are merely stood at the back of the stage there are clear stories and characterizations that make this stand head and shoulders above other ballets I’ve seen. Nowhere is this more evident than in the wonderful comic timing of Michael Coleman as the Pasha, who wrings giggles from the audience with every movement.
We’ve not really talked about the ladies of the ENB yet, and that’s because this is a rarity, a ballet that allows the men as much, and probably more, time to shine as their female counterparts. That said, Alina Cojocaru makes the most of every second, demure and shy at first, she blossoms in the glorious pas de deux of the second act, gracefully gliding througha wealth of of movement alongside Muntagirov. Erina Takahashi also shines, embuing the slave Gulnare with sultry charm.
It says something for sheer depth of talent at ENB’s disposal that the divine Laurretta Summerscales appears here as a minor featured dancer. The sheer volume of talented young performers is a wonderful sight to take in!
Le Corsaire may not be a classic in the mould of the Tchaikovsky ballets of old, but this production, staged by Anna-Marie Holmes, after the work of Marius Pepita and Konstantin Sergeyev and with a stunning set and gorgeous costumes from Bob Ringwood (Batman, Alien 3) deserves to become a byword for truly spectacular theatre!
