Is it a jinx or the bad fairy's curse? When Natalia Makarova's production of Sleeping Beauty was premiered last year its Aurora, Darcey Bussell, awoke from her 100-year sleep only to get hobbled during the third-act wedding celebration. On Thursday night Prince Desire (Johan Kobborg) didn't even get to dance with Aurora, but hurt his ankle after a few minutes on stage and had to be replaced by Federico Bonelli, who was watching the show from the wings.
But the real curse dogging this new Beauty is that it comes no closer than Anthony Dowell's controversial 1994 production to being the classic the Royal's repertory requires. Some tweaking has helped - especially the curbing of little boy Cupid who was so irritatingly ubiquitous last season. Yet deeper problems - from the weak dramatic drive to the debatable textual edits Makarova has imported from the Kirov version - continue to make this production drag.
The concept that made this production worth taking seriously was Makarova's mission to reinstate an old-fashioned classicism in the dancing and a period manner in the staging. This Beauty was to be a work of pure balletic artifice anchored in pure academic technique.
This essence, though, is fast seeping away. Last year the dancers had been strictly drilled in a baroque Russian style close to Makarova's own. One year on, most of the dancers have lost it.
As a result the cast looked ill at ease. Not only had they been shoehorned into a style that didn't suit their bodies, but they had been constrained from using the acting skills that set them apart from all other companies. Of course there were exceptions. Alina Cojocaru reprised last season's triumph with a beautifully wrought and prettily acted Aurora. Bonelli, after only a brief warm-up, danced with a handsome largesse. Ivan Putrov's Bluebird was sleek and powered, while Natasha Oughtred and Lauren Cuthbertson stood out among the fairies. This, though, is a production that the dancers seem to resist and that the audience don't seem ready to take to their hearts.
· In rep until March 16. Box office: 020-7304 4000.
