A century-old curse, divine choreography, and the pettiest uninvited guest in fairy tale history.
The wicked fairy Carabosse is furious she wasn’t invited to Princess Aurora’s christening. She gives the baby a spindle, saying that one day the Princess will prick her finger on it and die. The Lilac Fairy makes her own christening gift a softening of Carabosse’s curse: Aurora will not die, but will fall into a deep sleep, which only a prince’s kiss will break. The masterful 19th-century choreography of Marius Petipa is combined with sections created for The Royal Ballet by Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell and Christopher Wheeldon. Recorded live as part of the Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2019/20 with encore screenings broadcast online during the #OurHousetoYourHouse programme.
Direction
Ross MacGibbon captures live performance intimacy without losing grandeur.
Costume
Tchaikovsky's vision realized in layers of tulle that move like liquid light.
Practical Effects
Four choreographers' legacies woven across 135 minutes of pure physical storytelling.
Director
Ross MacGibbon
Fumi Kaneko
Princess Aurora
Federico Bonelli
Prince Florimund
Gina Storm-Jensen
Lilac Fairy
Kristen McNally
Carabosse
Christopher Saunders
King
Elizabeth McGorian
Queen
Thomas Whitehead
Catalabutte
Romany Pajdak
Fairy of The Crystal Fountain / Princess Aurora's Friend / Red Riding Hood
Luca Acri
Crystal Fountain Cavalier
Mayara Magri
Fairy of The Enchanted Garden / Florestan's Sister
Valentino Zucchetti
Enchanted Garden Cavalier
Claire Calvert
Fairy of The Woodland Glade
Calvin Richardson
Woodland Glade Cavalier
Anna Rose O'Sullivan
Fairy of The Song Bird / Florestan's Sister
James Hay
Song Bird Cavalier / Florestan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This production stitches together choreography by Marius Petipa (1890), Frederick Ashton (1946), Anthony Dowell (1993), and Christopher Wheeldon (2011)—a 130-year collaboration across death.
The #OurHousetoYourHouse broadcast made this one of the most widely accessible ROH productions ever, democratizing a tradition built on exclusivity and £200 orchestra seats.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
GB
