english national ballet's giselle and the 'exuberant' effects

By Catherine Jones on Oct 29, 09 09:01 AM

A somewhat alarming - quite literally as it happens - night out at the ballet last night.
All was well in the English National Ballet's super production of Giselle (professed by many to be their favourite ballet) until the start of the second act.

The curtain lifted. Mist rolled atmospherically across the floor of the stage and seeped down into the orchestra pit as the Wilis (the dead sisterhood posse out to dance unwary men to death St Vitas like) crowded the stage.
Then mist must have apparently rolled towards the smoke detectors too because no sooner had Giselle and Albrecht begun their ghostly pas de deux than the lights went up, the siren wailed and we were all told in no uncertain terms to vacate the Empire.
Frustrating for the dancers, frustrating for the audience (although the sight of two engines full of burly firefighters did raise a cheer from the gathered women outside).
Luckily after 25 minutes we were allowed back in from Lime Street and the show, of course, went on.
Read my review in today's Echo....

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-reviews/2009/10/29/review-the-english-national-ballet-perform-giselle-at-the-empire-100252-25040503/

Incidently, the opening piece Men Y Men, was very enjoyable and I could happily have sat through that again.