Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty opens in Southampton

Set over three acts – as well as the opening prologue – The Sleeping Beauty effortlessly immerses the audience in the story of a princess who falls into a hundred-year deep sleep after being cursed by a wicked fairy, that can only be broken by a kiss from a prince.

With a stellar international cast including Yu Kurihara, Lachlan Monaghan, and Daria Stanciulescu, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s world-famous music is composed to a backdrop of ensemble dancers telling the story of Sleeping Beauty through twirls, pirouettes, and arabesques without saying a word of dialogue.

It’s no surprise that the principal cast are at the top of their game, having been coached by retired ballerina, Darcey Bussell.

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In the programme notes, the former Strictly Come Dancing judge – who herself danced in four different productions of The Sleeping Beauty, states: “The Sleeping Beauty is the ballet in which everything comes together, it’s the most extraordinary score and the choreography really challenges every generation that comes to it.

“It also uses the skills of the entire company so for any big classical company it really highlights their talents.”

The set design in the production – which has begun its UK tour in Southampton – is breath-taking, using every available square inch of the stage, that’s altered accordingly for each act of the ballet – that includes two 15-minute intervals.

The Sleeping Beauty rightly attracts audience members young and old, in what is a treat in sight and sound, there is quite simply nothing else like it.

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s performance of The Sleeping Beauty runs at the Mayflower Theatre until Saturday, February 10.