BALLET
The Swedish Ballet. (Princes Theatre.)—The Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet. (Sadler's Wells.)
THE Swedish Ballet company, making its London debut on Monday night, showed itself to be far too ambitious both for its experience
and its size. The full "impact of a Euripides tragedy together with that of an Ibsen drama is probably more than any audience could stand in the space of one evening, and we were only saved an emotionally shattering experience because both of these themes were well beyond the range of the choreographer and dancers, and neither succeeded in touching us closely.
For some reason or other, Birgit Cullberg—the choreographer of the two ballets which comprised the evening's programme—was unable to decide whether to present Miss Julie as a farce or drama. Three-quarters of the Ibsen play was therefore danced, quite gaily and wittily, as light-hearted entertainment which could not but make nonsense of the final climax of the suicide. At the present stage of their experience the Swedish dancers should concentrate on light and simple themes.
On Tuesday night the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet revived Ninette de Valois's The Prospect Before Us, with Robert Helpmann as guest artist in the role of Mr. O'Reilly. This ballet is a most welcome addition to the junior company's somewhat slender repertoire, and, like all de Valois's compositions, bears the un- mistakable imprint of the master-touch. On renewed acquaintance, the ballet again leaves the impression that it could be extended to almost double the time allotted to it. But as is frequently her custom, the choreographer has based much of her inspiration upon the pictorial work of a master, and as in this instance the painter happens to be Rowlandson, it is not altogether surprising that her canvas is somewhat overcrowded.
Robert Helpmann gave a brilliant performance as the Manager of the Pantheon. The younger dancers, with their sound technical background, can now begin to emerge as personalities, and an artist of Helpmann's calibre, working side by side with them, will surely lift them out of a certain stodginess which threatened them.
LILLIAN BROWSE.
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