If Starstruck was Gene Kelly’s love letter to ballet, then this revival is Scottish Ballet’s love letter to Gene Kelly.
It simply oozes style, glamour – and more than a dash of the golden era of Hollywood – as ballet and jazz meet to make magic.
The base is, obviously, Kelly’s own choreography for Starstruck, the work he was invited to create for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960.
But, as Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet’s artistic director, told the Eden Court audience last night, Kelly often told those coming after not to imitate him, but to move him in on. And that’s what Hampson’s additional choreography and scenario does, bringing this work bang up-to-date.
The storyline is straight out of a 50s musical – all boy-meets-girl as a choreographer creates an epic work ready for the Paris Opera. Kelly was meta before meta was a thing.
Real delight in this exuberant visual treat
But it is the sheer skill, inventiveness of the dance – and the intelligence behind it – that is the real delight in this exuberant visual treat.
From the opening scenes set in a rehearsal studio, to the heights of Mount Olympus, the choreography moves slickly from melancholy duets between the Choreographer – a muscular yet elegant Evan Loudon and the Star Ballerina – a mesmerising, always flowing, Marge Hendrick – to gleeful, huge ensemble numbers that you just don’t want to end.
Just like any Hollywood film, the mix has not only romance, but drama – there’s a bar room brawl – and laughter. The latter comes courtesy of Simon Shilgen, channeling the puckish spirit of Donald 0’Connor, right down to that iconic mid-air frozen run/jump.
Starstruck has wonderful visual treats
It also has some wonderful visual treats – a hot air balloon ride through the heavens, or Zeus controlling two sweethearts (a great chemistry between Jerome Anthony Barnes and Aisling Brangan) like puppets on strings.
It’s driven along by the music of Gershwin – what else – with dashes of Chopin.
But it all comes back to the dance, a seamless mix between Kelly’s original groundbreaking style and Hampson’s own unmistakable, and often playful, touch.
Starstruck marks the return of Scottish Ballet to live performance, the curtain going up on touring again – it’s at Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre next week – and it does it in big, glorious, Technicolor style.
As the show ends, a huge image is projected on the backdrop, showing Gene Kelly standing on the steps of Paris Opera his arms outstretched. He seems to be saying “what a show”. Quite right.
Scottish Ballet’s Starstruck is at Eden Court in Inverness until Saturday October 2 and at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen from Thursday October 7 to Saturday October 9.
