This is officially the last week of school, so stop running numbers and start running to the Wang Theater. What’s there you ask? The Boston Ballet is closing its 41st season with a stunning performance of The Sleeping Beauty. First performed in St. Petersburg in 1890, the choreography and costumes for Boston’s version have been painstakingly re-created. The effect: To escort audiences back to the past and let them enjoy a truly original performance.
It is story we all know well – good and evil battle it out in a flurry of tutu’s and tiaras as the Princess Aurora sleeps silently, waiting for her prince to awaken her. The original story, first published in Paris in 1697 as part of the Mother Goose Tales, is slightly different from the Walt Disney version, and includes other fairy tale characters such as Puss-in-Boots and Little Red Riding Hood. I found that knowing the storyline is helpful – it allows you to dwell on the costumes, sets, and movements of the dancers – without missing a beat.
The last performance of The Sleeping Beauty is May 15th. Students get huge discounts, and the T drops you off a block away from the theater. Grab a date or just a friend, and make it a cultural night.
