If you only see one ballet this year, see one with Ivan Vasiliev. The young star of the Bolshoi Ballet is only 21 years old but he has charisma in spades, plus the kind of compelling muscularity and theatrical conviction that brings the old ballets to life.
Take Spartacus. Yuri Gregorovich’s 1968 creation is a gargantuan ballet, bigger than the Big Bang, with zero subtlety and less restraint.
It ostensibly tells the story of the slave revolt against the Romans, when it’s really a Soviet-era sword-and-sandal epic intended to out-blockbuster Broadway and Vegas combined. And that’s not mentioning the dramatics, which are beyond panto, nor Khachaturian’s music, which sounds like an explosion in a percussion factory.
Spartacus is a riot of flashy style and gaudy choreography but with Vasiliev you glimpse its original appeal, which is a man’s heroic struggle for freedom. A large chunk of Vasiliev’s attraction is his compact form and rugged style.
He looks like a fighter and is physically well suited to the endless turns and huge leaps the role requires. His blazing eyes and flowing hair do no harm. However, it’s his emotional immersion in the role that engages.
When he’s forced to kill his fellow gladiator as part of the Roman’s post-orgy entertainment you sense his horror and sorrow, while his connection with his sweetheart Phrygia is tantalisingly real.
Not all the opening night cast could match his commitment. Nina Kaptsova as Phrygia and Maria Allash as the courtesan Aegina were convincingly done but despite his superb dancing, Alexander Volchkov made Crassus too camp to be the terrifying army leader he’s meant to be.
Many in the corps were slipping into show-girl mode and, while this has its charms, it detracts from the hero’s tragedy. And, by Western standards, the closing sequence is histrionic.
However, with Vasiliev’s talent, the shortcomings slide from view.
Happily, he is dancing several times during the Bolshoi’s three-week visit, including Spartacus, Petrushka and Don Quixote. Book now.
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Until tomorrow and on July 31, then Coppelia (22-24), Serenade/Giselle
(26-28), Triple bill (29 & 30),
Le Corsaire (2-5 August), and Don Quixote (6-8). 020 7304 4000, www.roh.org.uk
The Bolshoi Ballet: Spartacus
Royal Opera House
Floral Street, WC2E 9DD
