Three hours of tutus and Tchaikovsky that'll make you believe in fairy tales again.
The Sleeping Beauty holds a very special place in The Royal Ballet’s heart and history. It was the first performance given by the Company when the Royal Opera House reopened at Covent Garden in 1946 after World War II. In 2006, this original staging was revived and has been delighting audiences ever since. Frederick Ashton famously cited the pure classicism of Marius Petipa’s 19th-century ballet as a private lesson in the atmospheric art and craft of choreography. Be swept away by Tchaikovsky’s ravishing music and Oliver Messel’s sumptuous designs with this true gem from the classical ballet repertory.
Production
Oliver Messel's 1946 designs: maximalist baroque fever dream.
Acting
Núñez's Rose Adagio: four suitors, one unshakable woman.
Score
Tchaikovsky's most structurally perfect ballet score.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1946 staging reopened Covent Garden after WWII bombing; audiences wept at the restoration of beauty itself.
Petipa's 'daisy chain' structure—each act a self-contained showcase—explains why Act III feels like a totally different party.
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