sun 01/12/2024

Onegin, Royal Ballet | reviews, news & interviews

Onegin, Royal Ballet

Onegin, Royal Ballet

Ballet-drama by numbers, even with fabulous performances

Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg: A stellar pair of dance-actors do their damnedestPhotograph © Dee Conway/ROH

One gin is not enough, not two, or even three gins, to make me susceptible to the idea that John Cranko’s ballet Onegin is anything more than a second-league costume drama with a peachy ballerina role in the middle. But it’s box office, and with Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg in the central roles last night for the Royal Ballet's opening salvo of the season, there wasn’t a hair's-breadth spare in the house, every place gone, even the standing ones in the gods where you can only see a sliver of the stage.

One gin is not enough, not two, or even three gins, to make me susceptible to the idea that John Cranko’s ballet Onegin is anything more than a second-league costume drama with a peachy ballerina role in the middle. But it’s box office, and with Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg in the central roles last night for the Royal Ballet's opening salvo of the season, there wasn’t a hair's-breadth spare in the house, every place gone, even the standing ones in the gods where you can only see a sliver of the stage.

He shuts up like a clam on realising that this girl is dull little Jane Eyre, not gorgeous Blanche Ingram

Share this article

Comments

What a wretched review. I find it hard to believe that we both saw the same ballet last night. You must have been the only person present who wasn't utterly blown away by what they'd experienced onstage. Perhaps you should stick to reviewing opera in future.

What a rude comment. FWIW, I saw this Onegin a couple of years ago and share Ismene's sentiments about the general inadequacy of the choreography and the storytelling (Olga and Tatyana turning up at the duel, for godssake). It's mostly rather tacky and very soft-centred, and doesn't begin to compare even with Marta Fiennes's film, let alone the opera or several stage adaptations I've seen.

FWIW I just found this review for the 2001 RB production of Onegin on the BBC website: "It is one of the greatest narrative ballets of this century, choreographed by one of the greatest choreographers the Royal Ballet never had." Each to their own, huh.

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters