The Sleeping Beauty review: The Royal Ballet’s revival comes up stronger than before

Marianela Nuñez makes the steps glow in one of the most cherished roles in ballet

Marianela Nuñez as Princess Aurora in ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ (©2023 ROH/photographed by Andrej Uspenski)

In The Royal Ballet’sSleeping Beauty, Marianela Nuñez is an enchanted and enchanting princess. This is one of the most cherished roles in ballet: both a fearsome test of classical dancing, and the chance to be the heart of a fairytale. Nuñez makes the steps glow: in her coming-of-age scene, the lovely bend and sway of her upper body gives the sense of a girl hugging herself with joy.

For The Royal Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty has been both a touchstone and a trouble. After the Second World War, it reopened the Royal Opera House with an adored production of this work – a powerful image of renewal and awakening. In 2006, when more recent stagings had been criticised, the company tried to recreate the celebrated 1946 production – chasing past glories. Oliver Messel’s designs were toned down for a modern audience, keeping the jostle of bold 1940s colours, but using skimpier costume silhouettes and muted backcloths. It’s a mix of radiant and drab.

But it can still be a decent frame for a ballerina, and Nuñez pulls the whole ballet into focus. In her first solo, her jumps hang in the air, light as a petal in the breeze. In the celebrated Rose Adage, partnered by four princes in turn, she holds steady balances, but also engages with each suitor – it’s a conversation, not just a setpiece. She takes up the spindle with a sense of wonder, turning the unfamiliar needle in her hands before the curse strikes her down.