Giselle, English National Ballet
Erina Takahashi as Giselle and Francesco Gabriele Frola as Albrecht in Mary Skeaping's Giselle © Photography by ASH
We’re starting today with a discovery and a rant.
The discovery is Noam Durand. The rant is the lack of whoops he got from the audience.
Because my goodness that man has talent.
Intricate jumps performed in the Peasant pas de deux with elevation, cleanness and effortlessness. And not just a few of them. Lots of them. In an intricate sequence I’d end up in hospital for attempting. Noam, consider this paragraph the flowers you deserved.
English National Ballet’s tried-and-tested Giselle has opened at the London Coliseum for a very limited run of six performances with even more fanfare than usual. This is because it is the final run of performances for their long-serving Lead Principal dancer Erina Takahashi before she retires into a repetiteur (coach) role at the company. As Giselle, Erina brings all her years of experience to a role she must know inside out. In Act One, she has a childlike playfulness and innocence – a young girl who just wants to dance and play he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not with her boyfriend Albrecht (who seems to go from situationship, not-sure-where-we-stand boyfriend to fiancé in seconds? Error 404 narrative unclear). However, once killed by a broken heart, in Act Two her ghostly Giselle takes on a maturity and wiseness beyond her years as she stands up to the commanding head of the Wilis (Myrtha – a standout performance by Precious Adams) to protect her two-timing love Albrecht (Francesco Gabriele Frola) from being forced to dance to death.
Erina Takahashi as Giselle and Precious Adams as Myrtha in Mary Skeaping's Giselle © Photography by ASH
The night took a little while to find its feet. Act One felt rather timid, with spurts of energy to help it move along. Heavy use of mine slowed down the pace considerably and I do wonder how much those in the upper levels would have followed along, as lots of the acting was underplayed and rather subtle. You really had to concentrate to understand what was going on. I was also rather surprised by the lack of energy given to the famous ‘Mad Scene’ where Giselle discovers that her lover is engaged to someone else — it was missing a spark.
There was energy aplenty in Act Two however as depth was added to characters to bring more interest to the story. Takahashi’s pleas to Albrecht to keep going were moving, Adams’ knowing looks to her Wili minions were thrilling, and Frola’s powerful leaps and turns (disappointingly restricted in Act One due to lack of space) were outstanding.
Finally, the lighting (by David Mohr) aided the storytelling brilliantly. I especially enjoyed the light subtly focussing in on Giselle as her world collapsed in on her in Act One. Meanwhile in Act Two, the use of dappled moonlight in the forest, when the Wilis chased after their victims, gave them a spooky edge, and a newborn sun shining down on Giselle heightened emotions as she left this plane forever.
★★★★
Giselle by Mary Skeaping, performed by English National Ballet
London Coliseum / 15—18 January 2025 [tickets]
Press ticket
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