Swan Lake: State Ballet of Georgia Revie

Reviewed by Hannah Gibb at London Coliseum,
Ticket was gifted in return for an honest review.

In 1876, the world renowned composer Tchaikovsky completed his score of Swan Lake. He had based his music on the German folk tale and some say he started to compose pieces in 1871 for his nieces and nephews (Such a cool Uncle!). It was quite soon after in 1877 that Swan Lake as we know it today, was performed at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. This beautiful ballet has certainly captured the heart of many aspiring dancers, composers, writers and much more over the years. 

Photo by Sasha Gusov

The first time in 175 years in its impressive history, the State Ballet of Georgia has finally graced London with their production of Swan Lake, and what better venue to play than the tremendous London Coliseum. The venue itself never disappoints and is so very breathtaking in grandeur. 

This production is under the artistic direction of Nina Ananiashvili. Nina is a former prima ballerina with the Bolshoi ballet and American ballet theatre. She has been described by the daily telegraph as ‘one of the twelve greatest ballerinas of all time’.

The story follows Prince Siegfried (Oleh Ligai) who is due to choose a bride, however by chance he falls inlove with the beautiful swan Queen Odette (Nino Samadashvili). However, she is cursed by the wicked Baron von Rothbart (Marcelo Soares). He placed Odette and the flock under a spell so that they are swans during the day and humans by nightfall. True love, however, can break the curse. The prince and the swan Queen are so very close at achieving this, but Rothbart has other plans. He transforms his own daughter Odile to look just like Odette and fool the Prince! Will the two triumph over the wicked magician? That would be telling!

Nino Samadashvili’s take on Odette is graceful and elegant; she replicates the swan so beautifully. The whole company perform well together. The casting of the leading characters change daily. I like this idea of having others leading these roles, however for a short run, it is a new way to approach it. 

Photo by Sasha Gusov

Whilst the music by English National Opera Orchestra was a personal highlight for me, I couldn’t help but feel that Odette and Prince Siegfried lacked chemistry. The prince is played by Oleg Ligai, who is outgoing and playful. The cast on this night were most certainly outstanding. The costumes and sets are beautifully designed by Vyacheslav Okunev. Again, my highlight being the Queen (Prince Siegfried’s mother played by Ina Azmaiparashvili), her entrance in Act 1 is majestic and her costume is one of my favourites. The original scenery served well as the atmospheric backdrop of various scenes and captured it as if from a book!

Overall, I recommend seeing this. It is the perfect way to enjoy the music and enthral yourself in this magical fairytale.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Swan Lake by the State Ballet of Georgia plays at London Coliseum until Sunday 8th September 2024. Tickets are available from https://londoncoliseum.org/whats-on/swan-lake-state-ballet-of-georgia/

Photo by Sasha Gusov