Marcia Haydée’s The Sleeping Beauty
Performed by The Stuttgart Ballet, presented by The Australian Ballet
Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Friday 9 October 2026
Review by Belle Beasley
The Sleeping Beauty, originally conceived in 1890 by Marius Petipa and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, holds a significant place in the history of classical ballet. Last week, a reimagined version of this historic work premiered in Melbourne, performed by the internationally acclaimed Stuttgart Ballet. This is the first time Stuttgart has performed in Australia since 1974. Presented at the Regent Theatre, the tour is being hosted by the team at The Australian Ballet (while their own dancers perform in New York). Stuttgart’s Sleeping Beauty was made for the company in 1987 by one of their own former stars: Brazilian prima ballerina, director and choreographer Marcia Haydée. Haydée, who rose to fame as one of Stuttgart Ballet’s prodigy ballerinas under the direction of prolific choreographer John Cranko, created her Sleeping Beauty closely adhering to the original Russian production, whilst reinvigorating the story with the expressive theatricality associated with the Stuttgart style.
The show opened to a full house, the audience abuzz with premiere excitement. The audience was more varied than usual, spanning the usual elegant older patrons who favour the classical ballets, young aspiring ballerinas keen to get a glimpse of the European stars, and niche Melbourne micro-celebrities luxuriating in the glamour of the theatre. Hearty applause welcomed the conductor, Stuttgart’s Assistant Music Director Wolfgang Heinz, to the pit, and as he lifted his baton, the magic of Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score engulfed the theatre. The curtain rose to reveal the glorious set by prominent German set and costume designer Jürgen Rose. For Haydée’s Sleeping Beauty, Rose, who was a key collaborator with Cranko and has also worked with John Neumeier, Kenneth MacMillan, and Antony Tudor, created five distinct visual backdrops for the narrative to develop across the Prologue, Interlude, Act I, Act II, and Act III, each evolving in colour, complexity and period references. Of particular note in Haydée’s Sleeping Beauty are the prominent roles given to the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse, the two characters who represent the forces of good (Lilac Fairy) and evil (Carabosse). Haydée highlights the relationship between these two characters as a key driving force in the narrative; unusually, Carabosse is also given a central dancing role. In an interview with Stuttgart Ballet dramaturg Lucy Van Cleef, Australian Ballet conductor Jonathan Lo explained that, throughout Tchaikovsky’s composition of Beauty, he was concerned with ideas of “providence”, or fate, resulting in a score that explores the unseen but ever-present and influential forces of good and evil in our lives. By emphasising the roles of the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse, Haydée returns to this central concern in Tchaikovsky’s score.
The Prologue opens to a scene of Rococo decadence. The King and Queen, performed by Clemens Fröhlich and Sonia Santiago, are celebrating the birth of Princess Aurora through courtly pantomime. The six fairies emerge, performed by Mizuki Amemiya as Fairy of the Crystal Fountain, Aoi Sawano as Fairy of the Golden Vine, Veronika Verterich as Fairy of the Woodland Glades, Irene Yang as Fairy of the Song Birds, Ruth Schultz as Fairy of the Enchanted Garden, and Abigail Willson-Heisel as the Lilac Fairy. Accompanied by colour-coordinated male partners, the Pas de Douze presents a series of sparkling divertissements, interweaving group work, and crisp floral tableaux. Carabosse, performed by Jason Reilly, enters from the balcony clothed in an extravagantly long black cape and shadowed by a group of balding gremlins. Carabosse casts her curse upon the baby with dramatic pantomime, signalling the Princess’s future demise from the prick of a spindle. The Lilac Fairy re-enters and the pair go tête-à-tête in choreography that highlights the graceful poise of the Lilac Fairy in contrast with the exaggerated and wild movements of Carabosse, embodying the volatility of Tchaikovsky’s score. As the Lilac Fairy protects baby Aurora, Carabosse’s anger is symbolised by a giant, swirling curtain (referencing the one she wore as a cape) falling from the sky. This compelling transition, blending set and costume, continues throughout the Interlude, which follows Aurora as she grows up. Carabosse’s billowing black cape functions as a visual indicator of time passing. Each time the cape is drawn back, we see a young Aurora being watched over by the Lilac Fairy, with vindictive Carabosse never far away.
Act I begins with the announcement of Aurora’s 16th birthday celebrations and a bubbly Pas de Six by Aurora’s Friends, costumed in buttery yellow tutus with pink ribbon detailing. As the Four Princes, who have come to compete for Aurora’s hand, enter the stage, the girls gush and follow them into the party. The birthday scene commences. Anticipation builds on stage and finally Princess Aurora, performed by seasoned principal artist Elisa Badenes, enters wearing an exquisite peach and cream satin tutu. Badenes, who was named Dance Europe’s Dancer of the Year in 2023, is every bit the music-box ballerina: formally precise, petite, and charming. She is gracefully restrained at moments, immersed in the demands of exacting choreography; at others, she is bubbly and precocious. In the Rose Adagio, a pas de cinq between Aurora and her four romantic prospects that is infamous for its exhausting promenades, dizzying pirouettes, and challenging suspension, Badenes danced with the wide-eyed determination of a Princess demonstrating her new-found independence. A caped character presents Badenes with a bouquet of roses, which she excitedly takes before pricking her finger on the spindle hidden in the bouquet. She begins to rock and tremble, commencing a sequence of wobbling bourrées and courus across the stage, finally flopping into a lifeless cambré held up by the Queen. As Carabosse reveals herself and the success of her curse, the Lilac Fairy enters, and soon Aurora and her kingdom are lulled into a peaceful slumber.
In Act II, the regal set is covered in vines and shadowy overgrowth, signifying the 100 years that have passed. Costumes, too, have changed, with men dressed in hunting ensembles with top hats and riding crops, and women donning gloves, neckties, and heeled boots, reflecting the shift from Rococo to Regency. To the bouncing rhythms of Tchaikovsky’s score, Prince Désiré, performed by young principal artist Henrik Erikson, happens upon the castle. He is thrust into a battle between darkness and light, as the Lilac Fairy guides him towards the sleeping Princess and Carabosse attempts to throw him off course, immersing him in a boa constrictor-like trap within her billowing black cape. Rescued by the Lilac Fairy, the Prince sees a vision of Princess Aurora. The corps de ballet manifests as vines come to life, and a serene dream sequence commences as Aurora calls to her Prince and the Lilac Fairy encourages him through the organic tableaux of dancers. Badenes is flawless in the Act II solo, lilting like a breeze and moving with an ethereal dreaminess verging on dissociation. Erikson finds Badenes and, with a kiss, awakens her, rousing the rest of the kingdom from its century-long slumber.
Act III opens to a set that has again transformed, becoming vibrant, animated, and regal in colour scheme and decoration. The King and Queen preside over the joyous wedding celebrations, and Aurora and Désiré observe the iconic Sleeping Beauty divertissements from the elevated vantage point of their thrones. After such strong and emotive performances in Act I and Act II, the Act III divertissements were a mixed bag of pyrotechnic solo displays and pas de deux with lacklustre chemistry. The pas de cinq featuring Ali Baba and the Jewels was a highlight, with Riccardo Ferlito’s powerful tours en l’air and grandes pirouettes invigorating the stage and eliciting gasps from the audience. Conversely, the respective pas de deux between Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, and the Bluebird and Princess Florine, fell short of convincing chemistry. In both cases, technical quality was high, but difficult moments of clunky partnering undermined the conviction of their performances. Nonetheless, the exquisite Grand Pas de Deux between Aurora and Désiré restored assurance, sparkle, and chemistry to the stage. Erikson’s solo demonstrated the clean, matter-of-fact quality of his Swiss training, although occasional lapses in the orchestral accompaniment seemed to inhibit his execution of some grand allegro passages. Badenes’ Act III solo was precise, light, and crisp, displaying immaculate footwork and ebullient développés écartés en manège.
Haydée’s Sleeping Beauty is an exuberant revival that honours the traditions of the ballet while embracing the theatrical depth for which Stuttgart Ballet is renowned. Rose’s lavish set and costume designs, Tchaikovsky’s enduring score and the emphasis on the relationship between the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse lend the production a richness that extends beyond the typical ballet repertoire. For Melbourne audiences, Stuttgart’s long-awaited Australian return offers a rare opportunity to experience a landmark interpretation of Sleeping Beauty, one in which historical choreography, masterful visual design, and technical precision converge to sublime effect.
The Stuttgart Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty runs at the Regent Theatre from 9–18 October 2026. Tickets are available here.