| Music：Ferdinand Hérold, freely adapted and arranged by John Lanchbery |
| Scenario：Jean Dauberval |
| Choreography：Frederick Ashton |
| Designs：Osbert Lancaster |
| Lighting：Peter Teigen |
A Sunny Masterpiece that Will Always Make You Smile!
Photo:Bill Cooper
Frederick Ashton
Packed with charming dances and slick comedy, La Fille mal gardée is a sunny masterpiece by Frederick Ashton that will always make you smile. It is a story of wayward girl Lise and her lover Colas who finally get married despite the attempt by Lise's mother, the Widow Simone, to make her marry Alain, the son of a wealthy proprietor of a vineyard. The ballet is also a beautiful depiction of Ashton's deep love for English countryside.
La Fille mal gardée is in fact the oldest ballet still in existence, having been premiered in Bordeaux, France in 1789. Frederick Ashton revived it by incorporating various new ideas, and 50 years after its creation, his version remains one of the staples of Birmingham Royal Ballet's repertoire. It is a stream of brilliant dancing, including technical pas de deux for Lise and Colas, the spectacular 'Fanny Elssler' pas de deux with Lise's eight friends and eight ribbons, the famous clog dance by Widow Simone (played by a man), a dancing cockerel and hens, and the lonely and dimwitted, but loveable, Alain. Join us to enjoy this spectacular, English romantic comedy!
Synopsis
Lise is the only daughter of Simone, a widow and owner of a prosperous farm; she is in love with Colas, a young farmer, but her mother has far more ambitious plans to make her marry Alain, the son of a wealthy proprietor of a vineyard. It is harvest time, and the harvesters relax in a joyful dance. As Lise and Alian dance, Colas intervenes, and Lise makes it clear where her preference lies. Alain is mocked by the harvesters. Meanwhile Simone never gives up her ambition but, when she leaves Lise alone in the house, Colas sneaks in to see her. When Simone returns, they hide in the bedroom where they are discovered by Alain. Simone then realises that Lise and Colas are meant to be together so allows them to marry.
Photos:Roy Smiljanic
Cast
Fri. 25 May, 2018, 19:00
| Lise：Momoko Hirata | ／ | Colas：Mathias Heymann |
Sat. 26 May, 2018, 14:00
| Lise：Céline Gittens | ／ | Colas：Tyrone Singleton |
Sun. 27 May, 2018, 14:00
| Lise：Momoko Hirata | ／ | Colas：Mathias Heymann |
Orchestra: Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra
*Casting (as of 11 Nov. 2017) is subject to change.
