Kenneth Tindall’s ballet instantly immerses us in the opulent worlds of 18th century Venice and Paris. Christopher Oram’s splendid set designs are detailed and ingenious: huge, gilded pillars that move to define the space; floor-length silks; a smoking golden thurible suspended above the stage; flickering candles; and a wall of tarnished mirrors that reflect the spotlights, dazzling the audience. The interrogation room of the Venetian Inquisition is created with a section of elaborate cornicing that lowers claustrophobically over the victims.

Kerry Muzzey’s music – played live by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia – is also key in this world-building, as strings and dramatic percussion evoke the sounds of the orchestras of the age. Oram’s costumes draw on elements of 18th century fashion – wigs, masks, cage-style tutus and frock coats – in a modern, provocative way and crucially without weighing down the dancers.

Choreographically, the highlights of the ballet are Casanova’s duets with his various lovers, the acrobatic lifts and entwining bodies clearly influenced by the work of Kenneth MacMillan. The pas de deux with Bellino (danced by Minju Kang) is more contemporary, with jaw-dropping balances and controlled falls that require exceptional trust between the dancers.

Joseph Taylor portrays the eponymous hero as a cerebral character with a rich inner world, frustrated at the painter who insists on trying to depict him as a sex symbol. Casanova’s descent into depression following Voltaire’s rejection of his work – depicted by a swarm of black-masked demons – and his redemption from despair with the idea of writing his memoir have extra power in this context. It is a hugely demanding lead role, with Casanova onstage virtually throughout.

While this ballet may not always convey the intricacies of Casanova’s life that it intends (you will definitely need to read the programme notes), what it does do is transport us to a gorgeous, forbidden world fuelled by sex, religion, parties and philosophy. I challenge you not to be seduced.

Northern Ballet’s Casanova is at The Lowry from 18 -21 May 2022. Age guidance 12+

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They’re back. Those gifted, dogged humans, who train and hone their artistic talents for years on end. Those whose efforts can reinvigorate the weariness of spirits. Tonight, the very sound of musicians tuning and warming up, coming from the pit as we enter, carries added significance and defiant exuberance. One violinist seems determined to squeeze in a couple of concertos’ worth of notes, before the maestro enters the pit and the real night’s work begins. I doff my cap to her/his stamina. I have some flavour of how she feels. We have come through.

This is the Lowry’s Lyric Theatre space – necessarily sparsely populated for social distancing – and we are here for the return of Northern Ballet.

Much like its central characters, Dangerous Liaisons is a treacherous piece. Laclos’s 18th century tale, oozing lust, love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge, must whisper seductively in a choreographer’s ear. But how to capture it in movement?

David Nixon’s creation opens and closes with short extracts of spoken text. Since we’re dealing in letters (the plot turns on epistolary indiscretions) back projected script might have been more effective (especially given that, in one or two places, the voiceover actors don’t seem to have fully grasped the meaning of the words they’re speaking).

At the heart of the story rages a battle for supremacy between two despicable characters – the ruthless seducer, Valmont, and the manipulative egotist, the Marquise de Merteuil. Each of these has had multiple lovers – the more innocent and forbidden, the better – but while Valmont exploits, ravishes and moves on, Merteuil gathers evidence…and hoards power. Each now desires the upper hand over the other, and the fallout will result in despair, disgrace, and death.

I’d always advise artistic directors to work with a dramaturg – it’s their business to seek out the heart of a drama and bring it to the fore. Nixon’s version retains too much plot, with the effect that it fails to allow space for the two central relationships (between Valmont and the Marquise, and Valmont and the pious, faithful Madame de Tourvel) to climb above the background landscape of deception and seduction.

Musical director, Jonathan Lo, uses Vivaldi throughout. Excellent music though it is, again the end result is to flatten the emotional pitch, painting each step with the colours of a single palette. The lusty acrobatics of Valmont cavorting with his various conquests show the same pastel hues as his life-defining, unanticipated romance with Mme de Tourvel. It’s all very nice, and that’s the problem. Alastair West’s lighting design is, given the needs of the production, insufficiently obtrusive.

That said, the pas de deux of Joseph Taylor (Valmont) and Antoinette Brooks-Daw (Mme de Tourvel) are undoubted highlights of the ballet; a moment or two transcending the general prettiness of the whole.

Abigail Prudames (Marquise de Merteuil), Rachael Gillespie (Cécile), Heather Lehman (Courtesan Emilie) and Filippo Di Vilio (Chevalier Danceny) all play their parts to good effect.

As a return to performing arts, it feels like a prescription from a cautious physician. “Don’t overdo it, until you find your feet again.”

There are some cheers and even a smattering of standing ovations at curtain call. We are all glad to be back.

Dangerous Liaisons performed by Northern Ballet is at The Lowry, Salford from 1-5 June and London, Sadler’s Wells from 8-10 June 2021. Age guidance 12 plus due to scenes of a sexual nature and sexual violence including a rape scene. The company has made the programme available to read online for free.

Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby Dance Review

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This fast-paced production dazzles all the senses – from beautifully choreographed ballet by David Nixon, to stunning set design, to the most beautiful costumes, supported by a fantastic score – all resulting in a glorious production leaving the audience transfixed throughout.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel was brought to life, beginning when Nick Carraway moves to the East Coast, renting a small house in a nouveau riche town in Long Island. Here he reconnects with his cousin Daisy Buchanan, her husband Tom, and meets their friend Jordan Baker. 

The Chanel-inspired costumes are stunning, with vibrant colours and gorgeous materials, and accentuating the beautiful lines of the dancers. The clever creative set, by Jerome Kaplan, conjures an America as painted by Edward Hopper, where we are transported from one beautiful house to the next.

Choreography of the ensemble make the backdrop come to life, whether in the busy streets of New York, with dancers expressing the hustle and bustle of the town, or those celebrating freedom and liberation from the horror of war, getting increasingly intoxicated at elaborate parties, dancing to jazz.

The real star of the show is Antoinette Brooks-Daw, as Daisy, executing the most exquisite ballet and being able to convey every emotion Daisy feels through every part of her body.

Kevin Poeung’s Nick masterfully conveys a man, not used to this society, awkward and awestruck by his surroundings, and yet a loyal friend to his cousin throughout.

Minju Kang’s Myrtle is wonderfully sassy, and happy to enjoy the jewels and presents bestowed on her by her lover, Tom.

The brilliant musical score by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett provides the jazz and syncopation to allow Kang to shine in this production. The music facilitates the change from the joyous atmosphere of Myrtle’s party, to the dark moment when Tom punches her in the face, to a tender moment when the lovers make-up again.

Nick meets his next-door neighbour, the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who has a penchant for lavish parties and beautiful women.

Ashley Dixon manages to make us first wonder who this rich man is, seemingly aloof to his guests, but as the production continues, and when he is re-connected with this lost-love Daisy, we see a man who is lonely and obsessive, and despite all the money he possesses, wants only one thing – the girl he fell in love with before he had to ship out to war.

The sequences where Gatsby is a young man, meeting Daisy for the first time are beautiful, and help us to understand why Gatsby has become the man he is, desperate to recapture his past.

Sean Bates is superb as Tom, embodying a passionate, obsessive and jealous man. In his movements, he is able to convey how his emotions flip from one extreme to another, with wonderful sequences where he desperately tries to keep Daisy away from Gatsby.

As the sparkling façade of Gatsby’s world begins to slip, the loneliness, obsession and tragedy that lies beneath is revealed in this wonderful production by the Northern Ballet.

Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby is at The Lowry from 8-11 May 2019.

Read our interview with choreographer David Bintley on 24 years leading Birmingham Royal Ballet.

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