Boston Ballet’s latest performance, The Sleeping Beauty, runs at the Boston Opera House through June 4, 2023. I attended the opening night of the event and am excited to share my thoughts on this classic ballet.
The Sleeping Beauty
As what you might call a “Disney adult,” you know I’m going to have a fondness for this fairytale in any medium it’s performed in, on top of my interest in ballet specifically.
Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty features additional choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton and an iconic score by Tchaikovsky, with some songs actually included in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), for any other Disney adults reading this.
It’s one of my favorite ballets, so I was thrilled to see it included in the season’s performance list. There is a lot more to The Sleeping Beauty than its familiar story and music as the choreography and dancers’ talents are on full display. With the familiar story, however, I’d take the opportunity to share that a performance like this are, in my opinion, the best way to get into ballet if you’re totally new to it.
Ballet is a unique medium in terms of storytelling, but it need not be intimidating for anyone who’s never attended a ballet before or for anyone bringing little ones for the first time. Grabbing tickets for a ballet with a story you already know can definitely help here. (If you do bring kiddos, though, just remember that children must be three or older to attend. You can also find information about attending the ballet with kids and families here.)
Finally getting to the dancing, The Sleeping Beauty has some very technical choreography that my amateur-high school ballet dancer self could not fathom ever having the ability to do. Every performer impressed throughout the show, whether it be the chemistry and technique shared between Ji Young Chae as Princess Aurora and Jeffrey Cirio as Prince Desire, or the precise yet graceful steps of Viktorina Kapitonova as the Lilac Fairy. I would also be remiss to leave out the performance of Carabosse by Chyrstyn Fentroy, who brought a whimsical yet totally wicked persona out in full force.
As with any of Boston Ballet’s performances, so much credit is due not only to the performers on stage, but also to the Boston Ballet orchestra, and its conductor Mischa Santora, as well as the set and costume design team led by David Walker.
Tickets and Performance Information
Tickets to performances of The Sleeping Beauty start at $39 and are available online at BostonBallet.org or by calling 617-695-6955.
This performance runs approximately two hours and 50 minutes, with two 15-minute intermissions, so I recommend getting dinner before the show, especially if you are attending on a weeknight to have more restaurant options.
And, if you are picking up your tickets at Will Call, I recommend arriving 40 minutes prior to showtime to pick up your tickets. If you are going out to dinner before the show, you may want to grab your tickets before heading over to the restaurant in case there is a line at Will Call when you return. I arrived just before 6:00 to pick up my tickets and then had plenty of time to enjoy dinner nearby (at Fajitas and ‘Ritas!) before heading back into the theater.
Can’t make it to The Sleeping Beauty? Check out the full lineup of Boston Ballet performances for the 2023-24 season.
Featured image credit: Ji Young Chae and Jeffrey Cirio in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet