Latest news with #BalletLorent
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Snow White/Snow White: The Sacrifice review – puts the Grimm back in the tale
It's not your Disney version, this. In fact, BalletLorent's production has less in common with a sweet-singing Rachel Zegler, more with Demi Moore in The Substance. And it reminds you that, in the version originally collected by the Brothers Grimm at least, Snow White is hardly a kids' story, what with all the attempted murder and juicy cannibalism. So choreographer Liv Lorent offers up two versions: a family show for all ages, and an 'after dark' version for audiences of 16 and over, which is the more successful. There is actually not so much difference between the two though. The adult version is sexier, fleshier, a bit more on the nose, a shade more violent (not least in the scene of a smarting bikini wax). But even the family version may not be for younger kids, and it perhaps speaks less directly to them than to the middle-aged women in the audience, since it's the horror story of a once beautiful woman seeing her currency crash. In some tellings, the queen dies in childbirth and it's a wicked stepmother who has a vendetta against Snow White's youthful beauty. In this one, using Carol Ann Duffy's knowing rewrite, as in the Grimms' 1812 version, it's Snow White's own mother who is out to get her, which makes the whole thing darker still. The Queen (Caroline Reece) gazes into her mirror, intoxicated by her reflection, and teaches Snow White (Virginia Scudeletti) the importance of looking 'gorgeous at all times'. There are rich themes: vanity, jealousy, rejection, loneliness, with all the drama magnified by Doctor Who composer Murray Gold's huge score which soars and swells and galvanises, while Lorent's small company loop and swoop to match the surging music. There's a great set, cleverly designed by Phil Eddolls, based on a giant dressing table which swings around to turn into a forest, and the mirror, embodied by the sharply angular moves of dancer Aisha Naamani enrobed in metallic silver. Instead of dwarves we have a clan of miners, and a nice juxtaposition of them doing the backbreaking work of digging for jewels while Snow White and her mother do the hard graft of beautification with all its undignified scrubbing and depilation. It's an odd story really, the huntsman dancing with Snow White's seemingly dead body, kissing her cold lips. (Liberties! Consent!) But particular moments reveal Lorent's excellent dramatic instincts, such as when the huntsman kills a young doe to take its heart back to the queen (in place of Snow White's), and we see the mother deer distraught in a reverse of the main plot. Or at the end when the disgraced queen stands stock-still for a whole scene, looking like an empty shell while youthful nuptial joy abounds around her – so much more effective than any histrionics. It may be a centuries-old tale playing on the classic fairytale fear of the solitary old woman, but anxiety around ageing is as current as can be. The queen sends an out-of-date portrait to her potential suitor, just like you'd put your most flattering photos on Tinder (and then the man chooses the younger woman anyway). She's a monster, but a weirdly relatable one. Snow White (family version) is touring until 31 May. Snow White: The Sacrifice is touring until 30 May
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Darlington primary school students to star in professional ballet production
Ten children from a Darlington primary school will join the professional cast of an enchanting production of classic fairy tale Snow White. The Heathfield Primary School youngsters will join the professional cast of Ballet Lorent's upcoming production of Snow White at Darlington Hippodrome on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17. The Year 2 and 3 pupils, aged between six and eight, were selected from a group of 109 during a workshop held at the school by Ballet Lorent dancers Gavin Coward and John Kendall. Some of the pupils from years 2 and 3 at Heathfield Primary who will perform in balletLORENT's Snow White at Darlington Hippodrome (Image: PROVIDED) Chosen for their enthusiasm and spirit, the children will perform in two scenes alongside the company's professional dancers. Mrs Craggill, class teacher at Heathfield Primary, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for children from our school to be involved in a new skill and perform in a live theatre to an audience. "They are all really excited to be chosen and looking forward to starting rehearsals." balletLORENT's Snow White with community cast (Image: THE TWINS) Eight-year-old Divine, one of the pupils taking part, said: "I really enjoyed the workshop because it inspired me to join a company and take part in a production. "Outside of school I play football and sometimes volleyball. I'm a little bit nervous because I have performed in front of people I know but to perform in front of strangers makes me super nervous." balletLORENT's Snow White red scarf (Image: THE TWINS) James MacGillivray, education and projects manager at Ballet Lorent said: "For many children, taking part in a professional stage production is a unique and transformative experience. "It not only builds their confidence and creativity but also enhances their ability to collaborate, communicate, and express themselves in new ways. "Schools benefit immensely too from our young cast initiative, as these workshops enrich their arts provision and inspire both students and teachers alike." balletLORENT's Snow White (Image: THE TWINS) The pupils will appear in both versions of the show. The family-friendly Snow White, suitable for ages five plus, is a reworking of Ballet Lorent's acclaimed 2015/16 production. Snow White: The Sacrifice, aimed at audiences aged 16 plus, explores the Wicked Queen's fear of aging and premiered in Newcastle in 2024. READ MORE: Darlington MP Lola McEvoy on 'frightening' child safety stats Darlington council approves plan for children's home Darlington students come up with ideas to improve town centre Narration is by award-winning actor Lindsay Duncan, with music composed by Dr Who's Murray Gold. The cast includes Caroline Reece, 61, as the Queen and Geoff Hopson, 54, from Stockton, who returned from retirement to perform in the production. Tickets start from £14 and are available from Darlington Hippodrome at
