Darling, you simply won't believe the tutu-tastrophe that unfolded at the Royal Opera House last night! I, your devoted dance correspondent, was in the audience, poised for an evening of graceful pirouettes and delicate bourrées. What we got instead was utter chaos, thanks to a rogue, errant… well, tutu. Yes, a tutu!
It all began innocuously enough, as our esteemed prima ballerina, the divine Delilah DeVille, glided onto the stage for her grand pas de deux. Her emerald-green costume was shimmering, the pointe shoes, impeccable. Then, a small but undeniably significant "thud." As Delilah reached for her partner, a perfectly formed, miniature tutu (about the size of a thimble) materialized at her feet. Cue the collective gasp from the audience!
I’m telling you, dear readers, the entire evening became about the miniature tutu. As the performance went on, Delilah, bless her heart, fought valiantly. A brave ballerina indeed. You see, at first she tried to ignore the tutu, you know, like it wasn’t even there, and carried on with her dance as if nothing had happened. Of course, it was so small that I couldn’t make out the fabric or its color, which was a good thing for everyone involved – including the audience!
For all her bravery, dear Delilah, however, couldn't quite focus, let alone pirouette. She looked as though she was ready to faint! The entire company looked flustered and quite honestly, bewildered. My friend Fiona, sitting next to me in the stalls, had tears streaming down her face, though I’m pretty sure it was laughter not the angst. It was utter, pure hilarity.
But it went further! Just when Delilah had nearly got the hang of this unusual choreography and the dance began to flow, she nearly tripped, because the small tutu, you know, this teeny tiny ballerina’s getup, got caught under her foot. The small tulle fabric twisted and tightened – quite literally getting stuck – and with a panicked leap Delilah managed to free her feet, leaving the tiny tutu under the limelight. We all had a good laugh at this moment and my friend Fiona could no longer contain herself, but a moment later there was the collective gasps and sighs – Delilah was crying! This was, frankly, so emotional for the entire audience that I almost felt sorry for poor Delilah! Almost!
So the petite tutu was in full focus and then there was another strange thing. Some odd, tiny, and obviously incredibly quick, hands came over and attempted to take the small tutu away! Someone (most definitely NOT in a tut-tut themselves) was attempting a ‘quick and quiet exit’.
The stage manager was beside himself. It wasn’t that he cared about Delilah being sad but he could hear the howls of laughter coming from the balconies and front stalls! They needed a quick change of tack. The entire audience was transfixed. They whispered and tut-tutted amongst themselves! My, how the audience were glued to every detail of this unusual ballet – well, it certainly wasn’t balletic and in no way gracious, I will give you that.
Eventually, after a seemingly interminable ballet, with Delilah almost throwing her dancing slippers off, our charming theatre director (you know, the man who insists on an all-white design for his shows) came up with a cunning plan – they’d turn the petit tutu, and the poor crying Delilah, into a feature of the act!
To say I was stunned is a gross understatement. It was more like, well, utterly flabbergasted. As he instructed Delilah (and she sobbed just as much when he did this as when he said "Good evening") to incorporate the petit tutu into the choreography for the next 30 minutes and gave the stage manager the wink that said 'fix this, now!'.
Darling, you would not believe the hilarious turn of events! Delilah went from 'devastated' to 'delighted' when the theatre director called it a ‘novel, quirky twist’ in her grand entrance and ‘added another, unexpected, whimsical layer to the entire dance!’ Honestly! From being a poor little dancer who cried on the stage, Delilah, with a change of her skirt, a change in the mood, and an extra layer to her tutu-wearing body, and of course, the ‘mini’ added tutu in the midst of her, she began to spin her way to a well-received climax, to a standing ovation, to her well-deserved curtsey and, to her, and my, relief, a dramatic close.
I'm telling you, it was a performance like no other. In the grand scheme of ballet's historical performances – from Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake and La Sylphide to more contemporary performances – no one, but NO ONE, can compare to Delilah DeVille who made, what began as a simple error in ‘the wardrobe department’, into a memorable evening!
You must all have seen it. It was pure genius! I think this was truly the most memorable evening and it may just go down in the history of ballet. Well, until the next ‘fashion faux pas’, that is!
I hope this gives you the laugh that this hilarious moment deserves! Don't forget, there’s a fabulous, exciting new production of Swan Lake at The Royal Opera House -
- Swan Lake Tickets on sale at the box office
- Click for more news about ballet from around the world
- Fancy dress ideas for this fabulous production
Do you think it was funny that she included the petit tutu into her routine? Or were you horrified? Let us know your thoughts and what you thought of last nights dance show.