A CLASSICAL ballet is set to take centre stage at Richmond’s Georgian Theatre Royal later this month when the highly acclaimed Vienna Festival Ballet Company makes a return visit to the historic venue with its latest touring production of The Sleeping Beauty.

Based on the timeless fairy tale, set to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score, the production will draw on stunning choreography and beautiful costumes to portray the age-old struggle between good and evil.

Suitable for all ages, the ballet is set in the magical world of a fairy kingdom where the King and Queen are celebrating the birth of their daughter, Princess Aurora. The lilac fairy and her attendants have been invited to the christening but the wicked fairy, Carabosse has been forgotten. Angered by this, Carabosse casts a spell on Aurora that on her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger and die. The lilac fairy changes the spell so that Aurora will not die but will fall asleep for 100 years until a handsome Prince will awaken her with a kiss.

“Many people are surprised that a full scale ballet can be hosted by our ‘pocket-sized’ theatre, which only holds an audience of around 200. But the stage is deceptively large, and is as deep as the auditorium itself, so there is actually plenty of room for all those pirouettes,” said Theatre Manager Clare Allen.

“Vienna Festival Ballet has performed on numerous occasions at The Georgian Theatre Royal and the company is a firm favourite with Richmond audiences who are always captivated from start to finish by the dazzling spectacle of music, dance, elaborate costumes and sumptuous sets. I am sure that this year’s production will be equally spellbinding and provide a wonderful evening of entertainment for the whole family,” she added.

Celebrated Austrian dancer Peter Mallek founded Vienna Festival Ballet in 1980 after his illustrious career as a dancer of international renown. Now in their 38th year of producing quality ballet productions, the company continues to experience remarkable success and perform great classical ballets all over the world. Vienna Festival Ballet are known for their beautiful and lavish hand-made costumes as well as their commitment to bringing the greatest classical ballets to the widest possible audience. Their productions have all the elegance and extravagance associated with the best of ballet.

Notable for the continued freshness and strength of their dancing casts, the company attracts highly talented dancers from all over the world.

  • There will be three performances of The Sleeping Beauty on Wednesday, May 30, at 7.30pm and on Thursday, May 31, at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. n Tickets priced from £11 to £26 are available from the Box Office on 01748-825252 or online at www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk