Pomp and Circumstances (Birmingham Royal Ballet)

I love it when the Birmingham Royal Ballet turn up in London. Whilst they don't have the technical firepower of the Royal Ballet they make up for it by bringing such fantastic repertory. Their latest triple bill, whilst oddly mistitled (nothing even approaches "Pomp"), is a night I won't soon forget.

They opened with "Serenade" which whilst far from a novelty is always pleasant. It's one of the cornerstones of many a company's repertory and with very good reason. Intangibly brilliant, from the calm opening to the triumphal, yet melancholy, finale there's barely a dull moment. This wasn't the finest performance and it was comfortably the weakest part of the evening (mostly because the other two ballets were so fantastic). Some strong clean lines from the corps and decent performances from the soloists failed to capture the magic that can make this ballet something truly special. Special mention must go to the terrific dancing of Momoko Hirata, she simply oozed star quality, and the ever charming Elisha Willis. The company weren't helped by the overly bright lighting throughout that then gave way to sudden darkness which rather ruined the stunning conclusion.

"Enigma Variations" followed and this really gave a huge number of soloists the chance to shine. This is Ashton at his best, a clever string of divertissements that miraculously string together as a cohesive whole and all draped in the ever impressive Trevelyan Oman designs. Jonathan Payn's Edward Elgar had a nice line in inward sadness but his partnering of his Lady, Victoria Marr, was a little clumsy. Marr was wonderfully comforting; she let off the emotional charge from the very start. The piece meanders through a range of amusing characters, all of whom were very impressively danced. Matthew Lawrence and Natasha Oughtred shared a sweet duet and Carol-Anne Millar had a joyous spring in her step. Ultimately the dancing was strong but it's Ashton's choreography that really shines, his Nimrod has almost no dancing yet evokes an incredible amount of emotion.

The third piece really took the roof off the building. "'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe" must be one of Bintley's finest works standing toe to toe with the two masterpieces that preceded it in this bill. Created more than twenty years ago its environmental theme is almost unbelievably topical. Despite the potentially preachy subject matter, it's also delightfully easygoing. A heady blend of humour with a touch of pathos, topped up by a minor dose of animal fun. The Hollywood starlet of a Ram, danced by Angela Paul, is a wonderful homage to a lost age of Ballroom. The terrifically funny Flea, danced by Millar, is paired with a team of prancing Morris Men. Things turn a little bleaker with the shooting of the Zebra, a very dignified bit of dancing from Chi Cao in a particularly stunning costume, as a group of fur wearing socialites sashay around the stage. After an epic, disco dancing show stopping number led by the excellent Alexander Campbell as a Monkey ringleader, the whole piece winds down with an effortless Noah's Ark image, the humans finally escaping two by two. Bintley's wonderful choreography paired with the electrifying Simon Jeffes' Penguin Cafe Orchestra music makes this a ballet I won't soon forget.

All in all an absolutely smashing triple bill. Serenade didn't quite soar but it's a true masterwork and what followed in the enchanting "Enigma Variations" and startling "Still Life" was simply majestic. To add to the magic, it was a nearly capacity crowd, which after the tragic Maliphant and American Ballet Theatre audiences was a pleasant surprise (especially considering triple bills are usually a tough sell). I'll be catching Sylvia at the weekend but on the back of this bill I'm already looking forward to the Birmingham Royal Ballet's next trip to London.