Hobson's Choice Birmingham Royal Ballet HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre Reviewed: Feb 18
Birmingham Royal Ballet made a welcome return to the Arts Festival with its signature ballet Hobson's Choice, choreographed by artistic director David Bintley.
Based on the play by Harold Brighouse and David Lean's classic film, the story is a romantic comedy set in 1900s Lancashire involving tyrannical, drunken shoe shop owner Henry Hobson, his three headstrong daughters and their suitors. Eldest daughter Maggie causes a scandal by marrying her father's skilled but slow-witted employee Will Mossop and setting up a rival shoemaking business.
Bintley's faithful rendering of the play offers quintessential English humour reminiscent of the Ealing comedies or The Full Monty. Hayden Griffin's evocative designs and Paul Reade's enchanting score are major assets and the choreography is consistently fluid and musical. The ballet is not perfect - too many scenes are mere padding, but it still has an indefinable magic. Inspired moments include when Will imagines how the shoes he has made would dance, and when he and Maggie dance to Lily of Laguna, they have a natural spontaneity and sheer joy more akin to the great Hollywood musicals.
Memorable though the hard-headed but warm-hearted Maggie and the blustering Hobson are, the ballet belongs to Will. His Buster Keaton-like innocence, his growing courage and self-confidence have the audience rooting for him and cheering at his ultimate triumph. This is one of ballet's great roles and Robert Parker gave a superb performance. Touching as he was funny, he conveyed the sense of delight in dancing that is the legacy of the role's creator, Michael O'Hare.
There were fine performances from Gaylene Cummerfield as Maggie and David Morse as Hobson, Jonathan Payn and Carol-Anne Millar (left with Victoria Marr who plays Alice), who stood out among a fine supporting cast, and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia gave a sparkling rendition.