Tutu Trouble! Chaos at the Royal Ballet as a Swarms of Bees Disrupt 'Swan Lake'
Oh darlings, what a scene! It wasn't just the elegant ballerinas gracefully gliding across the stage in their ethereal tutus - although, those were definitely a sight to behold - it was the veritable *invasion* of a beehive, yes a beehive, during the Royal Ballet's performance of 'Swan Lake' on 29 May 2000!
Now, we all know ballet can be *intense* but this took 'drama' to a whole new level! Imagine, our beloved Odette, transforming from the white swan to a Queen Bee as a swarm of the furry little fellows buzzed around the stage! Oh, the irony of it all!
Apparently, it all started during the Act Two finale. It was all so beautifully dramatic - Odette's soaring leaps, the menacing Baron, the tender love story unfolding - until…well, it all went awry. One of the ballerinas, let's just say *she* wasn't exactly known for her graceful exits, accidentally bumped into a floral arrangement in the corner - *shocking!* and apparently, there, in amongst the daisies and roses, was a colony of bees, quite content until, well, until that 'bump'.
Chaos, my dears, ensued! Bees went ballistic. Tutus got swatted at, with *hilarious* results. And the most entertaining sight of all - imagine a *man* in tights *running* on pointe across the stage. This is no exaggeration - our valiant prince actually abandoned his elegant poses and dashed to the back, his lovely white tights *totally* failing to hide his, er, rather *robust* leg muscles.
Of course, the performance had to be stopped, for a mere ten minutes mind you. What else could they do with, you know, a buzzing cloud of fury buzzing over everyone?! It took some brave (and I suspect quite smelly) stagehands wielding rolled-up posters to get those naughty bees to buzz off!
There was no injury to anyone, except to one of the principal dancers' pride when she admitted that, as she fled from the stage, she managed to lose her shoe, and not just any shoe - a bespoke, *crystal-encrusted*, Manolo Blahnik! How tragic. And her poor tutus - completely *covered* in bees, one could only imagine the dry-cleaning bill.
Now, I *do* have to say - we are talking about the Royal Ballet, darlings. It *was* rather glorious! The way the entire stage went black, the ballet dancers leaping and twirling for shelter, it was all quite fabulous! As a true ballet lover, this just went above and beyond *any* regular performance - even more exciting than the time that diva-ish ballerina (who *shall* remain nameless) tripped over a feather boa during *Giselle*.
The audience *loved* it! Imagine the excitement - tutus being swarmed, a stagehand with a feather duster (a most curious accessory for a stagehand, if you ask me!) in one hand, and a can of insecticide in the other. It was all the most *perfect* example of 'bee-ing* a true professional' that you can find.
What made this particular story so special was the response. The audience cheered on our courageous dancers, applauding the stagehand who looked quite *divine* with his feathery dusting!
Of course, the bees eventually decided the theater wasn’t the perfect spot to nest, and they flew off. The rest of the ballet was, thankfully, a bee-less masterpiece.
However, *everyone* agreed on one thing: if there is ever to be an encore performance of this production, the organizers might need to add a 'bee keeper' to the list of roles, just to keep things under control!
On a more serious note, the event certainly serves as a reminder to us all - even in a seemingly elegant setting such as the Royal Ballet, chaos can, and sometimes *does*, strike! We all know *I* simply *cannot* have any more surprises like that happen again. Especially after having my exquisite custom-made tutus fitted for the premiere last week! I'm off to invest in some new, well, maybe a more robust outfit than a tutu...
Anyway, if you're ever in the audience at the Royal Opera House, be warned - it may just be a case of watch your back, or a tutu, never mind *your* feathers!