Russian State Ballet La Fille Mal Gardee at the Mayflower Theatre Review
Russian State Ballet
La Fille Mal Gardee
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
13 January 2015
Reviewed by Nicola McCallum
The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton is a popular theatre on the South Coast and on the evening of the 13 January 2015 the Russian State Ballet of Siberia were performing ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’.
The theatre itself is situated in central Southampton and is only a short walk from both bus stops and the train station. Despite not having its own dedicated car park there are many car parks in the local vicinity to the theatre all within a short walking distance of less than 5 minutes. The theatre itself is in an older traditional building but has been updated and modernised. The foyer is a bright open space with information all clearly displayed allowing its visitors to find their way to either the ticket office to collect their tickets, to the bar to enjoy a drink prior to the performance or to simply make their way directly to their seating area. Every time I have visited this theatre I have always been impressed by the staff. There is always plenty of staff on hand to assist with the needs of the public, they are impeccably presented and are always friendly and helpful. Once again I was not disappointed as I was greeted by friendly polite staff who asked me if I required any assistance before I actually needed any.
Over the years I have seen a lot of ballet performances but it has been many years since I have last seen a production of La Fille Mal Gardee. The story itself is fairly simple but is known in the ballet world as a ‘pantomime comic ballet’ with Widow Simone traditionally played by a male. Widow Simone has ambitious plans for her daughter Lise and has plans for her to marry the son of a wealthy proprietor of a vineyard. Lise is not impressed with her mother’s choice of suitor as he is a bit of a simpleton who is very clumsy. Lise is much more interested in a local Farmer Colas and the story follows them as their love develops.
On the evening Lise is danced by the beautiful Ekaterina Bulgutova. Throughout the evening she danced with all the grace and elegance expected of a prima ballerina and was flawless throughout her performance. Her partnership with Kirill Bulychev, who danced the part of Colas he farmers son, was stunning and the magic they created with their duets was beautiful. For me Kirill Bulychev was the star of the show. He danced with so much power but yet was so light on his feet, and his footwork was precise and from every moment he was on stage you could not help but be drawn into his performance.
The costumes and scenery were beautiful in particular the costumes were one of the best I have seen in a performance. From the bright crisp pink, pale mint greens and a golden yellow worn by the corps de ballet combined with a bold turquoise worn by Elise herself in Act One the stage was awash with colour. The wedding outfit worn by Elise was the most beautifully embroidered traditional white tutu with large pink flowers on the outer skirt and bodice which matched the beautiful dancing that was on display.
Despite the fabulous dancing by the lead characters I was left a little disappointed by the Corps De Ballet. For the first time I noticed not just one mistake but several throughout the performance and I felt at times they just simply blended into the background and was not as polished as it should have been. I was surprised by this considering the high standard on display by the soloists. With the Russian Siberian Ballet touring with The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia and La Fille Mal Gardee with La Fille Mal Gardee only performed for one evening at the Mayflower I felt that maybe they were trying to showcase too many ballets for just one tour.
Overall I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and would certainly return to see the Russian State Ballet again especially if I knew Kirill Bulychev was one of the soloists.
Rating: 4/5
The Russian State Ballet is at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton until 17 January 2015 with Swan Lake (14-16 January) and The Nutcracker (17 January). For more information or to book tickets visit www.mayflower.org.uk or call the box office on 02380 711811.
Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE | 02380 711811
