Angelmoth, Sadler's Wells, London
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ballet Lorent's family show Angelmoth starts with a library. The characters come and go, dancing and clambering through the towering stacks of Phil Eddolls's terrific set. You can see their eccentricities and their cherished secrets in the way they move. Later, these people are drawn into a magical world – but they're stranger, and much more interesting, in the real world of the library.
The Newcastle-based company founded by choreographer Liv Lorent, Ballet Lorent, is particularly known for its site-specific works. Angelmoth is her first work created specifically for a family audience. Like the company's adult shows, it has a strong design element. Paul Shriek's costumes have a sense of period fantasy, with ruffles, lace and stylised bustles. Eddolls's library is gorgeous. Walls of books frame the stage, with shadowy corners and a wrought-iron staircase. A screen at the back shows a misty image of further galleries. It's also the doorway to the world of the Angelmoth, a winged creature who can make dreams come true.
Ben Crompton's voiceover narration introduces the characters and explaining turns in the plot. The heroine Pippanouska is a librarian, a lonely girl who was brought up by her grandfather. Lorent gives Gwen Berwick teetering pointework, sending her speeding about the library, moving among precarious heaps of books. Much of the story focuses on Madeline, the over-protective mother of Lydia. Caroline Reece and Meritxell Pan Cabo dance a clinging, suffocating duet, with some of Angelmoth's best imagery.
Lorent plays with a variety of movement. Madeline's coaching leads to a book-balancing dance, the whole cast shimmying along with books on their heads. The Angelmoth hangs on wires, Winifred Burnet-Smith twitching and fluttering like a moth battering itself against a light. Andy Ross's music bounces gleefully from waltzes to Latin rhythms, with wistful piano music to support the narrative.
The library characters make a perilous journey into the Angelmoth's world. The whole show becomes more mystical, and much more waffly, as the characters set about learning their moral lessons. Even the music loses its variety, become vague and dreamy after the energy and shuffle of the first half.
To 3 January (020-7863 8000)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments