Tutudrama: A Night of Mishaps and Mayhem at the Royal Ballet
Darling, gather around, gather close! Let me tell you about last night at the Royal Opera House - the tutus, the drama, the pure utter joy of it all! You know I simply must spill the beans about this extraordinary night. As you all know, I adore ballet, the ethereal movements, the graceful leaps, the pure beauty of it all. But let me tell you, darling, last night wasn't just about pirouettes and pliés, no, last night was pure, unadulterated chaos, and the highlight, you ask? The tutus, my dears, the tutus!
The programme was âSwan Lakeâ, the story of Odette, the innocent swan cursed into a bird, who finds her true love with Prince Siegfried. It was the usual enchanting tale with the stunning score, the beautiful dancers and the lovely romantic choreography. And yet, my dear, there was a definite, palpable air of anxiety swirling around backstage as the curtain was set to rise. The atmosphere was so thick with dread, even the male dancers looked nervous!
It began innocently enough - the music, the opening scene, and there was the glorious Odette, shimmering under the spotlights in her white tulle. She glided across the stage, looking absolutely radiant in her delicate tulle tutu, the quintessential Swan Lake attire. You know, all graceful, a swan in her natural habitat, the perfect ballerina, the very picture of delicate elegance and refinement. But then⊠disaster struck!
The choreography demands that Odette dances with an exquisite group of swan-women, also in lovely tulle tutus, as she is separated from Siegfried by his lack of recognition and by the Evil Rothbart's scheming to thwart her and gain his heart for himself. Well, letâs just say it got a little chaotic when a well-timed gust of wind took a sudden and very unwelcome liking to one particular swan-woman's tulle tutu, and, with a great rush and flutter of fabric, it proceeded to perform a whirlwind act of its own. Not gracefully, not elegantly, my dears! No, it was a bit of a whirlwind ballet tragedy of its own, leaving our unfortunate swan-woman exposed to the full gaze of the audience, letâs say with an amount of under-garment visible to the audience that wasn't planned on.
At this, the orchestra stopped, and, even amidst the collective gasp from the audience, I could hear, faint as it was, an âoh for goodness sakeâ coming from backstage. Thankfully the stage crew came to the rescue and that very particular swan woman disappeared for a quick wardrobe change and returned, back to being all lovely and serene. But, oh my goodness, the moment she was back, another tutu came a cropper. It seems that, even as we sat there watching the exquisite swans on the stage, the wardrobe crew had to frantically get into action back stage and re-sew or tighten tulle upon every occasion to save another embarrassing accident.
We might be talking ballet, but as you see, it is the most ridiculous form of dance known to man. Not to mention how difficult the routines are, let's be frank, it takes months and months of training for just one performance. You are constantly told by these ballet aficionados to expect âexquisiteâ, âelegantâ and even âgracefulâ and âsmooth.â And then there you have it - tutus that get a life of their own.
But you know me, it just added to the entertainment. I must say that, through the whole show, not once was there a single murmur of boredom, it seemed as if a real-life version of "Swan Lake" had magically appeared on stage. Of course, there was a little laughter here and there when the tutus were getting in the way of a ballerina, but never was anyone's attention drawn away from the magnificent work of the artists on the stage, in the true sense. I'm telling you, you couldn't help but laugh! In all fairness, those swans worked incredibly hard to be a graceful flock of birds. Even when their tutus kept wanting to fly away with them!
As we sat, entranced by the dancers, we were laughing ourselves silly with the tutu-dramas taking place around us, while those backstage desperately tried to stay a step ahead of the fluttering fashion faux pas that just kept popping up. The evening continued with Odette's escape, Prince Siegfried finding her with the love he hadnât noticed before and Odette finally taking on her swan shape, though she always returned to her ballerina shape to show her human self for her love.
It is only on very special occasions that the stage crew manage to ensure there are no hiccups, when all goes to plan, everyone does the choreography right, everyone remembers the stage directions and that everyone on stage is impeccably dressed, without mishap. On a usual night at the theatre, though, it is safe to say that thereâs going to be at least one or two fashion failures as the performers whirl and spin. I mean, with the length and complexity of those costumes it's nothing short of a miracle they are not a little more problematic more often than not! The fact that there is always an undercurrent of fear of a âtutu-incidentâ adds so much extra spice to an evening.
I tell you, darling, the best part of the evening was the reaction from the audience. Everyone, absolutely everyone was mesmerized by this little fashion-based disaster happening before our very eyes. There was so much energy in the theatre, from both the stage and from the audience and I can tell you with all the seriousness I can muster, darling, a tutu crisis has got to be one of the most fabulous moments to witness, and yes, that really includes all the fabulous tutu dancing of the ballet performance as well, mind you, you must take into account, my dears, that they're professionals, those dancers are experts on how to spin, leap and make graceful gestures, whilst managing their multilayered tulle skirts. Oh yes, the ballet and tutu combo is indeed a real spectacle for sure.
The final scene, with Siegfried's realisation, his plea to Odette, the lovely ending scene of her return to the land of the living... the dramatic music... youâd have to see it for yourself, the passion in their moves and their gestures. Then, the end! As soon as the curtain descended, I heard a collective âoooh" come from all sides of the theatre, all the more delightful due to the tutu-related issues that peppered the performance.
In a nutshell, my dears: * a few tutu crises can be great entertainment * âSwan Lakeâ never ceases to inspire, be it the dancing, the drama, the love story or even the occasional disaster * the âRoyal Balletâ, at its best when a little imperfection pops in and steals the show * I suggest you grab your tickets and witness it all for yourself
Oh, and be prepared to get up and give the cast a standing ovation!