| What: Maina Gielgudโs Giselle When: November 13-22, 2025 Company: Cape Ballet Africaand Solomon Osazuva is the international guest artist Where: The Pam Golding Theatre, The Baxter Theatre, Cape Town Tickets: R200-R495 Bookings: Webtickets โ note special offer for seniors on Thursday, November 20 at 11h30, with tickets priced at R200 / R250 Set and costumes design: Michael Mitchell |
๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฎ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ (๐๐๐), ๐๐จ๐ฏ ๐๐-๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง
It was enthralling to be at the opening of Giselle. Maina Gielgudโs Giselle is a wow -stunning โ dance and staging. It is tour de force of non-verbal theatre. Rapturous standing ovation.
We saw Mia Coomber (Giselle), Gabriel Ravenscroft (Albrecht), Jan Kotze (Hilarion), Lรฉane Theunissen (Myrtha), Enzo Santos (Wilfred) and the CBA company. Marcel Meyer, Shireen Ravens and Kristin Pape are the character guest artists and are in all the performances.
This is an exhilarating new production of Maina Gielgudโs celebrated Giselle. Her choreography is after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot – the original 1841 ballet. For this production, there is a new set and costumes by Michael Mitchell. Lighting by Wilhelm Disbergen. Stunning dancing throughout with Giselleโs signature en pointe work a tour de force. Dramatically, a cliff-hanger in Act 2 – The White Act – Ballet Blanc.
In the programme notes, there is a quote: โEven in the afterlife, love can save the soulโ, Act II, Giselle. Hhhm, not sure about that. In this production, love or the fantasy of love, wrecks lives. There is no sugar-coating and that is why, for me this Giselle transcends other Giselles – in embracing the wreckage of messed up relationships. The beauty, the ethereal balances en point on the wreckage, betrayal, revenge, missed opportunities and the finality of death; undercuts the romantic notion that love transcends and endures. Yes, the music (by French composer Adolphe Adam) is breathtakingly gorgeous. Maina Gielgudโs choreography is breathtaking. To re-iterate, the dance is stunning.
However, pivoting on the sheer beauty of the production, is the wreckage of twisted passion and this infuses this production of Giselle with a contemporary riff of accountability. If you behave badly, be prepared to be miserable for ever. I am talking obviously of Albrecht. In this production, Giselle does leave me with a sense that she has not found love in the ever-ever after. This production lands for me as a cautionary tale โ not to be duped by toxic predators who want trophy paramours. If you think that Giselle is boring, go and check out this production and be amazed. The acting by the dancers is exceptional as they channel a complexity of emotions. I donโt think I โgotโ Giselle in the past. I saw it as a dreamy, pastoral romantic kind of fantasy with lyricism of dance and music but the narrative didnโt grab me. Seeing this Giselle and the narrative becomes an extension of the dance and the dance is an extension of the narrative. They are cantilevered off each other and make for viewing which is tempered by urgency within beauty.
Circling back to the technical aspects – the en pointe – precision, athleticism; knock out performances. Giselle was apparently one of the first en pointe full length ballets – and Maina Gielgud has heightened that – beyond the edge of a precipice. Act II is gasp aloud ballet. It is very much classical ballet โ with the trimmings of costumes and sets โ but as in neo classical ballet โ the body is the primary mode of expression. I am used to seeing CBA doing neo-classical and I find it fascinating how a robust neo-classical aesthetic has been brilliantly pared with the frippery of romantic classical ballet.
The white tutus in Act II, look like couture ball gowns and with the traditional veils, the revenge driven women are not delicate wraiths, wafting in the wings. Watch Leanรจ Theunissen leering and watching from the wings as Myrtha. The voyeurism is heightened โ by the protagonist and us, the audience being dazzled on the one hand by the dance and yet immersed in the wreckage of the story. Extraordinary drama and finely tuned in this production.
Guest artist Solomon Osavazuva is the alternate Albrecht. I am going again – to see him in the role. Yes, it is that good – for a 2nd viewing. Bravo to Debbie Turner, team and sponsors and funders. Love. Loved. This Giselle is beautiful, dark, enthralling, unsettling and utterly mesmerising.
โ Cape Ballet Africa’s production Giselle, 2025. Pic: Helena Fagan.
