Royal Ballet's "The Sleeping Beauty" Review in London!

Updated: Aug 25, 2023

Today I’m going to share with you an experience that is very exciting for me, where I recently went to see the Royal Ballet’s production of “Sleeping Beauty” in London, England at the Royal Opera House! During my time in London I knew I wanted to be able to see at least one ballet while I was there. Fortunately, the Royal Ballet had multiple showings during this time of the year and I was able to buy tickets ahead of time. In order to buy the tickets, I pre-bought them online on their website at roh.org and I was seated in the amphitheater. Tickets for this production depending on which section you sat in the theatre. After buying them online, I was thrilled, as I’ve always wanted to see a production by the Royal Ballet. Also, I had always wanted to see ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in person, as my dance studio growing up had also done its own version of this production. The production I saw was the December 11th, 2019 performance at 7:30pm and lasted 3 hours including intermissions and ended at around 10:30pm.

In terms of dressing for the theatre, after much research, I decided to wear a turtleneck sweater and slim fitted pants with heeled boots. Since it was winter and the production was finished by around 10pm at night, I wanted to pay respect to the ballet, while also staying warm. Other audience members wore similar attire or black sheer tights with a dress/skirt with a sweater, boots, and a coat. The temperature in London around this time of year is around 10-12C in the daytime and 4-6C at night. However, since I live in Vancouver, I was fairly used to the weather, as it’s actually slightly colder where I’m from currently then it was during my visit in London. Also, make sure to accommodate for the possibility of rain at all times and bring a small umbrella, as it’s always more likely to rain at night as well. However, this is also similar to Vancouver, so I was fairly accustomed to this as well. In terms of bags/purses, I would recommend using a small purse or side bag, as they will generally have bag checks at most places in London. Also, most places won’t allow large bags or backpacks in to theatres.

As for transportation, I was fairly lucky as it was fairly close to my hotel, so I was able to walk. However, the tube and buses (try tube routes for faster transportation times if you can, as the traffic in London can be quite long) are also available for those who are located farther from the Royal Opera House and are very efficient. Also, in terms of bringing your ticket, you can either pick it up at the box office or use a printed out PDF copy that they send you by email or show the QR code ticket on your cellphone (make sure to either put in your Wallet app on iPhones or turn the brightness all the way up).

Upon arriving at the theatre, I was surprised that they didn’t need to scan my ticket until the very end when I was about to take my seat before the entrance doorway. When I was first entered the theatre, it was packed with tons of people and one of the first things I noticed was how beautiful it was! Make sure to arrive at least 15-30minutes early, as you’ll want to look around the theatre and also once the production starts you won’t be able to get in, as it started exactly at 7:30pm.

In terms of getting to my seats, there was an escalator to go to the amphitheater section and a short walk towards the seating area. If you do bring heavy coats, there is a coat check available on both lower and upper level floors, as well as bathrooms located on both levels. One of the things I was looking for while I waited for the production to start was a list of cast members. Normally, at home we call them programs, but keep in mind that there is a difference between the two. The programs cost 8 pounds and are thicker with glossy paper along with a cast sheet, while cast sheets are free and indicate the list of cast members on a white folded piece of paper. So for a free souvenir ask for a cast sheet, unless you would prefer a program as they are quite nice, but at the time I thought they were the same thing. Oh well, at the very least I have a very nice memento J

The inside of the theatre was stunning and while you can’t take photos or videos during the ballet, you can take them before (make sure to set your phone to airplane mode or turn it off altogether before the ballet starts, I was so worried my phone would ring I decided to turn it off). I tried my best to take a selfie to show you all but I’m still trying to work on taking selfies, as I don’t usually take many of them while I’m at home. Another thing, I was happy to learn was that I was able to see the entire ballet from my viewpoint despite being in the amphitheater section and it wasn’t too difficult to see what was happening.

In total, there were two 20 minute intermissions and one four minute set change in between the last two acts, so don’t get up to leave before it ends, as it can be difficult to discern. The set up of the ballet was a prologue, Act I, Act II, and Act III. One of the surprising things that happened before the ballet began was that there was a cast change of around 5/6 dancers that they announced, many of which who were a part of the main cast! Regardless, the ballet was beautiful J

The production sets were absolutely amazing! While the production itself was familiar, the execution was stunning. One thing that surprised me the most was that the Lilac Fairy’s attendant’s dance was identical to the one I had learned from my dance school’s production! I was excited upon finding this out, but also in awe of their technique in executing it. Also, all of the fairies were excellent dancers, especially the Lilac Fairy and the Fairy of the Golden Vine (her suspension in her releves were exquisite!). In addition, the principal dancers who portrayed Princess Aurora performed by Sarah Lamb and Carabosse (Wicked Fairy) performed by Kristen McNally were wonderful. In fact, my favourite variation that Sarah Lamb performed was when Princess Aurora danced with the four princes and she held a balance near the end without any of the princes’ help for a long time! She got a well-earned standing ovation as a result! Also, her grand pas de deux with Prince Florimund performed by Ryoichi Hirano was also excellent. Other performances that were also wonderful were Puss-In-Boots and the White Cat variation, as well as the Bluebird.

During the intermission periods I was able to look around the main floor and looked at some of the costumes from previous dancers, which I took pictures of to show you below. One of my favourites was Margot Fonteyn’s Aurora costume from Sleeping Beauty in Act III, as she is one of my favourite ballerinas and I watched so many videos of her as a teenager. Fun fact: Margot Fonteyn danced with the Royal Ballet during her entire career and was officially pronounced the prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II!

In addition, they also had two other tutus from Sleeping Beauty on display, as well as other associated items from Margot Fonteyn such as a fan. In the hallways, there were also posters of both current and past productions by the Royal Ballet. Also, there was a king (King Philip II of Spain) and queen (Elizabeth de Valois) costume downstairs in the main lobby entrance from the play Don Carlos. Along with that there were photos of Royal Ballet dancers, frames of tutu costumes, and watercolour paintings of past costumes.

During the intermissions, they also sold mini ice-cream’s and drinks. However, keep in mind that you can’t bring food or drinks into the theatre seating area, so you must eat it or throw it out before you go back inside. If there’s anything I’ve learned from London, it’s that they really like their mini ice-cream’s, as they sold them everywhere on the plane, at plays, and ballets! I do have to agree that they are quite cute and the right size, since you must eat them within 15-20 minutes.

Overall, the ballet was wonderful and was a very packed audience, which made it all the more exciting! I would highly recommend watching this production and I hope to be able to see another one again soon! One thing to keep in mind is that you can also take a tour of the Royal Opera House during the daytime and see backstage. I wasn’t able to do this during my time in London, but I will try to do this the next time, as this was my first trip.

I also wanted to see the production of Coppelia by the Royal Ballet while I was in London, as I haven’t seen it before and also Natalia Osipova was performing that night. However, since there is an 8 hour time difference between London and Vancouver and it was occurring on the day I arrived, I didn’t want to fall asleep during it as a result. When I arrived, I later found I didn’t have too many problems with jet lag, as a friend recommended I take No Jet Lag and it worked wonders, so maybe next time I’ll be able to see Natalia Osipova perform. Regardless, I’m so happy I was able to see a production by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, as they are one of the most profound ballet companies and a long history of well-known ballerinas such as Margot Fonteyn, Sylvie Guillem, Evelyn Hart, and more!

Another thing I really enjoyed was the live orchestra by the Royal Opera House, as this made it that much more theatrical. In conclusion, I had a great time and I hope that if you are able to see this ballet or a different production while in London that this review can help you plan your trip and that you have a great time. Also, thank you to those dedicated readers who read this entire article, as I know I can write long passages sometimes, so a round of applause for you! I’ll also be posting a few more posts on my trip to London with one on the many dance-related things in London, another on a dance (ballet) class I took at Pineapple Dance Studios, and a review of the White Christmas production I saw at the Dominion Theatre, so make sure to stay tuned!

Royal Opera House Royal Ballet Tickets: roh.org.uk