Cleopatra, Northern Ballet, Sadler's Wells

Cleopatra, Northern Ballet, Sadler's Wells | reviews, news & interviews

Cleopatra, Northern Ballet, Sadler's Wells

A romping, stomping, pleasure of a show, and a design dazzler

by Judith FlandersTuesday, 17 May 2011

Northern Ballet's 'Cleopatra': 'The real stars of the show are the design team'All photos: Bill Cooper

David Nixon has been artistic director of Northern Ballet for a decade, and it’s probably safe to say he is the king of the story ballet: Wuthering Heights, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Madame Butterfly, Dracula – if it’s got a story, he is, seemingly, willing to tell it. As Christopher Wheeldon’s recent Alice in Wonderland for the Royal Ballet showed, this is not as easy as might first appear. Nixon shoots straight from the hip: he is interested in narrative, he loves answering the question, “What happened then?”

David Nixon is the king of the story ballet: if it's got narrative, he'll tell it

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