I’d not been to the ballet before and was worried I would get bored. However, last Wednesday, on the spur of the moment, that's exactly what I did and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was not a lavish production but the small troupe of Ballet Theatre UK kept me entertained throughout.
The story, by Hans Christian Anderson, is about Gerda and her quest to find her lover Kay, who has been placed under the Snow Queen's spell. Her adventure takes her on a journey where Gerda encounters a band of gypsies, an enchanted reindeer and the mysterious Lapland woman, who tells Gerda to continue travelling north, where she will find Kay and the Snow Queen's palace of ice.
Only Gerda's love for Kay can release him from the spell and break the Snow Queen's curse of eternal winter.
Although not as spectacular as the poster promised I was still drawn in and the time passed really quickly. I can't really comment upon the quality of the dancing, it looked good to me, but as a novice I might well have missed some of the finer points. The two ladies next to me who are regulars at the ballet said it wasn't a bad performance although one or two were playing to the crowd. I could not say whether or not this was the case. I still enjoyed it and I think a trip to the Birmingham Royal Ballet may not be too far away.
Stopping for food before the performance we ended up going to the Handmade Burger Co. A little on the expensive side (luckily we had a 2 for 1 offer) but good food and a large vegetarian selection!
Only Gerda's love for Kay can release him from the spell and break the Snow Queen's curse of eternal winter.