Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo ★★★★★ Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre | September 6 - 17, 2022


There is nothing quite like The Trocks! Whether you're a balletomane or a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, there's something here for everyone. After nearly fifty years, the troupe is still entertaining audiences with what are inspired parodies of the ballet classics. The company's gentle humour pokes fun at dance conventions and clichés, while slyly commenting on stereotyping both inside and outside the world of dance. The satire is subtle and the political points are unobtrusive, but beneath the froth and folly there is some real significance and some very serious dancing. Indeed, what makes for a lot of the fun here is the real prowess of these dancers. Their considerable skills make it doubly amusing when they mess up or when they apparently break character and expose the emotions behind their assumed classical hauteur. The company's "Le Lac Des Cygnes (Swan Lake, Act II)" is simply to die for, and we loved the "Swan Lake Pas De Trois" with its brilliantly mismatched trio of dancers. "The Dying Swan" of Olga Supphozova (Robert Carter) had us shedding tears of laughter and "Nightcrawlers" is a beautifully, and amusingly, executed homage to Jerome Robbins. The "Valpurgeyeva Noch" is bound to bring out everyone's inner nymph or faun – probably giggling or guffawing. All in all, this is a simply joyous night in the theatre; it will be relished by both dance aficionados, lovers of high camp comedy, plus everyone with a sense of humour.

Rated: ★★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Sascha Vaughan.

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When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: Portugal St, London WC2A 2HT, UK

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