THEATRE: Sadler's Wells, London
DATE: 19-03-2011
TIME: 19:30
CHOREPGRAPHER: Javier de Frutos
“The Most Incredible Thing” is the Pet Shop Boys’ first crack at a full ballet score and though most of it sounds terrific, the story, characters and choreography by Javier de Frutos could benefit from some more clarity, focus and depth.
The production is based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and in it a King (Michael Camp) organizes a competition for the presentation of ‘the most incredible thing’. The winner receives half his kingdom and daughter’s hand (Clemmie Sveeas). The artist Leo (Aaron Sillis) creates a magical clock, which enchants all and is about to win, to the princess’s delight. At this point Karl (Ivan Putrov), the power hungry villain, destroys the clock and claims the price. To the astonishment of all the broken pieces magically transform themselves back into the clock and all ends on a happy note.
Sillis & Sveaas
The moral of the tale, where creativity triumphs over destruction, could lend itself wonderfully to dance, but here it is told rather poorly. The playwright Matthew Dunster has been commissioned to shape the piece dramaturgically, but this does not seem to have aided the shape and clarity of the piece. The production relies too heavily on film and text and without reading the synopsis in the program most of the action would probably be incomprehensible.
A publicity shot of the three talented leads: Sillis, Sveeas & Putrov
The choreography is unable to lift the ballet into the stratosphere. The leads have some nice movements, but it seems like the often controversial de Frutos (who won an Olivier for his amazing work on the most recent West End revival of Cabaret) has played it too safe this time because he was working on a family show. Sillis (who was electrifying as the photographer in Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray) manages to make the strongest impression as the passionate artist. But Sveeas also has some nice moments as the princess, especially when her free spirit is displayed while dancing in her bedroom (the only moment Neil Tennant’s vocals are heard) and in fighting off the advances of Putrov. The latter is a former Royal Ballet principal and he displays some impressive pirouettes and represents with his minions the strongest ensemble dancing in the show. All the characters though could use more fleshing out and humor in the steps to make you care about their fate.
Aaron Sillis in rehearsal
The creators have set their story in communist Russia and a lot of the ensemble movement is therefore robotic. This is surprising at first, but becomes tiresome after a while. The competition is set up as a sort of Eastern bloc version of X-Factor or Pop Idol, but the pay off is not particularly funny. This section is bereft of exciting movement and the same goes for the long sequence in which the magic of the clock is presented. Although the underlying ode to creativity and critique of mediocrity in our culture is admirable in these sequences it does not translate into interesting movement. Instead the audience is bombarded with film images and odes to Salvador Dali, Bob Fosse ('Big Spender' moment from Sweet Charity), an astronaut, pianist and more. The bizarreness is interesting up to a point, but that wears off eventually and what you are left with is not much. Surely these talented artists can think of more creative ways to make their point.
The music, orchestrated by Sven Helbig (a frequent collaborator of the Pet Shop Boys), sounds terrific on first hearing. It is played by a 26 piece orchestra, which at times is layered with electronic beats and samples. It is therefore all the more disappointing that the show (which I really wanted to love) is not better than it is. I hope the creators eventually take another crack at it. I believe it has the potential to be worthy of its title, but right now it is an enjoyable curiosity.
Sillis and his muses in rehearsal
Sveaas & Putrov
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