Robert Tanitch reviews English National Ballet in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle at London Coliseum.

Robert Tanitch reviews English National Ballet in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle at London Coliseum.

Giselle, the greatest of all ballets of the Romantic era, and one of the definitive statements on heartbreak, was conceived by Theophile Gautier as a showcase for the great Carlotta Grisi and premiered in Paris in 1841.

The ballet has had many variations since then. One of the most popular is Mary Skeaping’s traditional version, a masterpiece of meticulous research and reconstruction, which is not to missed.

The role of Giselle, combining the real and the supernatural, is to dancers what Hamlet is to actors and boasts one of the best mad scenes. The melodious music and its atmospheric score by Adolphe Adam plus the choreography it inspires is rooted in the original by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, revised by Marius Petipa.

Giselle, a very sweet and naïve peasant girl, falls in love with a young man, who turns out to be a Duke in disguise and already engaged to a lady at Court. She does what is expected of romantic heroines in such circumstances. She dies of a broken heart.

Duke Albrecht, not to be outdone, also does something very romantic. Filled with remorse he goes deep into the forest in the middle of the night to find her grave. Here he meets a bevy of vengeful Wilis, man-hating, virginal, jilted brides who lure young men to their death.

Any production of Giselle stands or falls by the ghostly second act, much enhanced by the corps on pointe in ethereal unionism and by David Mohr’s lighting. The iconic arabesque chug section, plus Adam’s music, is one of the ballet’s high spots.

The leads are excellent. Erina Takahashi is Giselle. Francesco Gabriele Frola is Albrecht. Precious Adams is Queen of the Wilis. The whole performance and the expertise with which it is delivered is outstanding and an absolute joy to watch.

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