The Little Mermaid
The Grand, Leeds/Touring
NORTHERN Ballet can usually be relied on for exquisite sets and costumes and The Little Mermaid, one of three premieres from the company this year, is no exception.
Kimie Nakano’s concave, tarnished mirror panels create a watery environment, aided by the green and blue sea foam of the costumes made from frilled material.
It’s the perfect setting in which to bring alive Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairytale and, for the first act, it works well. David Nixon's sumptuous and evocative choreography has the dancers diving deep, with fluttering hand movements while slow head bobs mimic the lap of waves.
Beautiful fabric and light jellyfish float behind the dancers and the scene in which Abigail Prudames’s Marilla as the Little Mermaid manipulates her newly birthed legs, her face contorted into a silent scream, is painful to watch.
But, as the action moves onto land and the green hues of the sea are replaced by rich reds and browns, the production starts to lose focus. The choreography during a scene in which local people gather to celebrate the summer’s fishing catch is not dynamic enough to sustain its length and the closing scenes feel rushed and lack emotional impact.
There are glimpses of what the production could have been like with greater editorial control in repositioning of the story’s emphasis. The scene in which Marilla dances solo for Joseph Taylor’s Prince Adair, especially, succeeds in conveying poignancy as her initial lack of physical confidence gives way to slow and passionate movements.
The production took more than a year to create and the company would have been prudent to spend longer at the development stage to prevent its flashes of magic being watered down.
Tours until May 5, details: northernballet.com