Product Review

Set in the exotic surroundings of the Ottoman Empire and with a narrative encompassing abduction, murder and shipwreck, Le Corsaire is a swashbuckling pirate drama that delights for its spectacular nature and which includes some of the most bravura male dancing in the ballet repertoire. The works evolution has been a complex one, its libretto and choreography subject to numerous revisions since its first appearance in Paris in 1856, and in this English National Ballet production the first British staging of the work former-ballerina-turned-choreographer Anna-Marie Holmes adapts the 1974 Petipa-Sergeyev Kirov version to create brisk, stylish entertainment (Guardian) that is visually enhanced by Hollywood designer Bob Ringwoods superb (Daily Telegraph) Orientalist sets and costumes. First-rate dancing by the company and its soloists including Alina Cojocarus radiant performance as Medora (Independent), Yonah Acostas vividly drawn and villainous Birbanto (Financial Times) and Vadim Muntagirovs compelling (Daily Telegraph) portrayal of Conrad underscores the roaring, madcap success (Financial Times) of this production.