Noel Streatfeild’s much-loved novel, Ballet Shoes, has been adapted into a spectacular production at the National Theatre that will have you beaming long after the curtain call.
On entering the auditorium, I was immediately wowed by the expansive Jurassic set displaying from top to bottom, fossils and dinosaur bones. The image resembles a grand advent calendar with each opened window or door revealing a prized fossil.
Fanatic fossils collector, Gum (an acronym for Great Uncle Matthew) often goes on adventures in search of them to bring back to his home at 999 Cromwell Road, London. The house has many rooms across two floors, each filled with hordes of fossils and dinosaur bones believed to be 65 million years old.
Have you ever come across someone whose unexpected gesture of goodwill proves to be a burden on someone else but them? Well, that’s Gum… The eccentric paleontologist (portrayed by the captivating Justin Salinger) also has a knack for bringing back orphaned infants for Sylvia, his 12-year-old great-niece, and Nana, their housekeeper, to look after while he sails off again in search of more fossils.
The first baby he brings back from his trip is Pauline, followed by Petrova, and lastly Posey, whose mother had abandoned her to pursue a dancing career. After the three babies are adopted by Sylvia, the three sisters vow to make a name for themselves that will break away from patriarchy. Not having any parents or history, they chose Fossil as their surname at the age of five which somehow their guardians went along with.
As the girls got older, the family faced financial challenges and the house fell into disrepair. With Gum gone for 6 years, and now presumed dead, Sylvia is pushed to acquire lodgers – a fussy doctor, and a larger-than-life dance teacher – in order to make ends meet. Thanks to their newest lodger, Thea Dane, the girls are offered a chance to train as ballerinas and actresses with the prospect of making money a few years down the line as performers.
Beautifully adapted by Kendall Feaver, and directed by Katy Rudd, the staging of this children’s story is a joyful exploration of chosen families and the dynamics within it. The writing and story development is heartwarming and the narrative navigates through multiple stories of love, rivalry, identity, ambition and courage.
The cast graced the audience with highly entertaining performances while still handling and delivering the core message authentically. Every scene and cast member’s performance was simply marvellous. There are so many favourite moments and scenes that I am looking forward to experiencing again (yes, I intend on seeing this a couple more times).
I was utterly mesmerised by the stunning flashback scene showing Madame Fidolia’s life as a young girl arriving in England from Russia to begin her dancing career until she was struck by an illness. This particular scene was delicately depicted in a slick movement sequence. The combination of her backstory and the stylised way of telling it was splendid and brought tears to my eyes. Justin Salinger‘s role as Madame Fidolia was honourably sustained and believable.
Grace Saif, Yanexi Enriquez and Daisy Sequerra’s performances as the Fossil sisters were exceptional. They beautifully embodied the ambitious energy of young teenagers, evoking empathy and taking me back to a time in my life when nothing seemed impossible.
Pearl Mackie is tender and authentic in her role as Guardian Sylvia while Nadine Higgin brings much zest to her role as the passionate dance teacher, Thea Dane.
Samuel Wyer’s costume design is sometimes wonderfully outlandish, notably the black, white and silver garments worn by the cast in their rendition of A Midsummers’ Night Dream. This play-within-a-play act was astounding, funny and avantgarde with the use of aerial stunts. It was astonishing to behold the set’s featured fossils and skeletons (a representation of the past) and the futuristic costumes simultaneously on the stage. At other times, the ensemble appeared dreamy in their smart jackets worn over turquoise tutus and tights.
The fossil-decked set sometimes lights up to transform the stage into an exhibition of Sylvia’s paintings. Her niche talent of being able to paint dinosaur fossils is what persuaded a reluctant Gum to take in his orphaned niece when she first landed on his doorstep.
This production constantly oozes charm and astounds from beginning to end. Packed with highly entertaining characters, effortless wit and exciting scene changes, this show kept on giving without overwhelming. The chemistry amongst the cast is genuine and fused with humour as they unearth the fundamental message of love, bonding and what constitutes a family.
Need to know: Ballet Shoes plays at the National Theatre until 22 Feb 2025
