Review: Tortoise and the Hare – Northern Ballet – Edinburgh

Northern Ballet premiered Tortoise and the Hare back in 2015 and opting for the ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ philosophy, has revived it, unchanged, several times since. The story’s moral of persistence trumping over-confidence will never go out of fashion (fingers crossed), and at 40 minutes, it’s a fine, bite-size introduction to ballet for both young and old.

Thanks to choreographers Dreda Blow and Sebastian Loe, the action is light and playful with an emphasis on creating larger-than-life characters and an easy-to-follow plot. Composer Bruno Merz provides a bright and breezy score, whilst Designer Bruno Merz has lots of fun with tortoise shells, buck teeth, big feet, and lots and lots of bunting.

In terms of representation, it would be nice to see less rigid gender stereotypes, however. In particular, whilst the white bunny girl cheerleaders are fun, their fawning over the handsome hare would be easily subverted by making one of them male.

Otherwise, there’s much to admire, the partnerwork particularly strong throughout, and no signs of technique being sacrificed for laughs. The pointe work of a Bee who tries to sidetrack the racers with honey is particularly cute.

It’s ambitious to present a race on stage, even in a space as large as the Festival Theatre offers. However, that’s precisely what Tortoise and the Hare achieves. Look out for a particularly impressive set piece wherein the Tortoise is overtaken by a snail.

I’d say more about the cast of the specific cast seen at the Festival Theatre at the end of the current tour, but such information is not available. Suffice to say they all did very well, particularly the tortoise who adapted to his shell with evident pleasure.

Though the current Tortoise and the Hare tour is now at an end, expect to have more chances to see this show in future. It may not be the last word in family-inclusive dance, but it’s a fine wee production nevertheless.

The Tortoise and the Hare is a Northern Ballet production.

All Images: provided by Capital Theatres

For more information on Northern Ballet’s Tortoise and the Hare, click here.