You could call The Australian Ballet’s 2015 production of Marius Petipa’s 1890 opus the most beautiful yet, and not be laughed out of school: it may well not be, but it could easily be, with its gorgeous colour palette, lavish costumes and French Baroque set design.
Gabriela Tylesova – who already has a CV full of breathtaking set and costume designs for major operas, ballets and musical theatre shows – seems to have surpassed herself with this Beauty. And it’s not just her designs – it’s David McAllister's arrangement of them into beautifully composed tableaux.
But never fear: McAllister hasn’t fiddled too much with choreography of the original; Petipa is regarded as the master of 19th century ballet, and his Sleeping Beauty competes only with his Swan Lake for top gong in the classical genre.