OVERTURE
During the overture we hear the two main themes of the story of
the ballet expressed musically, representing the light and the dark - good and evil; the first of these is that of Carabosse, the bad Fairy, giving way eventually to the theme of the Lilac Fairy, who is the embodiment of goodness. What is about to unfold is the struggle for a young girl’s soul between these two opposing forces, but there are other themes woven into this fundamental fabric which will reveal themselves in the telling of the tale.
As the Lilac Fairy’s theme begins, we witness a short scene; a King and his Queen are desperately longing for a child yet cannot seem to conceive. They visit a doctor, and outside his clinic encounter a woman with a baby. They pause and look longingly into the pram before the doctor appears and ushers them in, and as the Queen crosses the threshold, the woman with the baby raises her hand to bless her, her cloak falling open to reveal her true identity - she is the Lilac Fairy.
PROLOGUE - THE CHRISTENING / RUSSIA
Happily, the Queen was able to have her child, and the scene now shifts to the baby Aurora’s Christening on a gorgeous summer afternoon in 1830, and the extended European family of the royal couple are all assembling for a celebratory tea on the lawn outside the conservatory of the palace. The infant’s parents, her nanny and the doctor all fuss over the tending of her, the King particularly: he is a proud father and as is such somewhat overprotective, and Aurora is very much ‘daddy’s girl’. It is the late Regency/Gothic period, and the beginnings of a fascination with the fairy world, photography and ghost stories are stirring throughout Europe, and another of our crucial themes is soon to manifest itself. The co-existence of the mortal world alongside the fairy world comes vividly to life as this Christening afternoon unfolds, for invitations to the feast have been extended to the six fairies from the enchanted forest across the meadow, and they soon arrive bearing gifts which represent the qualities embodied by each fairy: Beauty, Grace, Angelic Temperament, Song, Wisdom and most important of all, Truth and Virtue. This last value comes in the form of the Lilac Fairy herself, who is queen of the fairy world. They arrive escorted by a retinue of Elfin Princes and they dance together as each fairy offers up her gift according to her essential quality, bestowing these on the infant Aurora who sleeps blissfully unaware in her pram….innocence personified.
At the height of the celebrations, a subtle change in the weather heralds a troubling new atmosphere. The sun is suddenly eclipsed and two grotesque creatures abruptly appear and run amok among the guests. They are Pina and Lucinda, the mutant daughters of the wicked Fairy Carabosse who is in fact the twin sister of the Lilac Fairy, fallen from grace and retreating to dwell in the dark heart of the forest to consort there with evil creatures. She was not invited to the Christening as she had been long forgotten, but she now arrives and is extremely angry at this omission! The root of Carabosse’s displeasure began long ago when, at birth, she was delivered but a minute after her sister, cheating her of the honour and privilege of inheriting the coveted title of Fairy-in-Chief. Throughout their childhood this jealousy raged, barely contained, until a furious row severed their connection and saw the end of Carabosse’s time within the fairy ‘nest‘. Here now, perhaps, is her chance to even the score with her sister and the mortals with whom the Lilac Fairy holds such persuasive power.
Toying with the infant Aurora under the noses of the royal family, Carabosse and her daughters display the callous disregard, which separates them from their fellow fairies. Carabosse stands for chaos, Lilac for order, and the baby is dangled tantalisingly above the chasm between the two. Carabosse pronounces a curse upon the child - Aurora will indeed grow into a ravishing beauty but, on her sixteenth birthday, she will accidentally prick her finger and die!
The King and Queen are devastated and the party is in ruins until the Lilac Fairy intervenes and reminds them that she has not yet given her gift to Aurora; she tells them that she has not the power to reverse the effects of the curse completely, but that she can deflect it so that the young girl will not die. Instead, Aurora will fall into a deep slumber from which she cannot be woken for one hundred years, and only then by a true love’s kiss. Even more incensed, Carabosse and her daughters exit the scene, the sunlight returns and a great sigh of relief is breathed. The King decrees that henceforth all sharp objects shall be forbidden within the kingdom.
ACT I - THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
It is 1846, the occasion is Aurora’s 16th birthday party and the Royal Family is gathered to celebrate at a champagne reception in the palace hothouse. Three gardeners are discovered at the gathering pruning the exotic foliage and a commotion ensues. The arrival of four royal suitors, come to court Aurora, distracts the King, and the gardeners are forgotten. A waltz is danced after which Aurora arrives with her cousins, the daughters of the assembled royalty, and she is introduced to the four Princes with whom she dances. At the climax of the evening’s festivities, the gardeners suddenly return, wheeling in a beautiful cactus plant in full flower. Aurora is entranced by the exotic colour of the bloom and reaches out to touch it, pricking her finger on its thorns and collapsing. Her parents are grief-stricken, and the gardeners tear off their disguises to reveal their true identities - it is Carabosse and her daughters, and they remind the party of the curse pronounced 16 years ago before escaping once more in the pandemonium. Just as all are about to abandon hope, the Lilac Fairy appears to reassure everyone that what she foretold at the Christening will now happen, and Aurora is made comfortable in the hothouse for her 100 year sleep. The four Princes are posted as a protective guard around her, while the rest retire to begin the extended hibernation.
ACT 2 - THE ENCHANTED FOREST
It is 100 years later, and a Prince is out hunting in the forest but soon stops to rest in a shady glade. There he experiences an arresting sight - it is the Lilac Fairy, come to show him a vision of the beautiful Princess Aurora with whom he dances, falling very much in love. Carabosse appears and there is a brief territorial struggle between the ethereal inhabitants of the forest, before the Prince swears his commitment to rescuing the Princess. The Lilac Fairy introduces him to an enchanted Bluebird who will guide him to her. On his hazardous journey the Prince meets four maidens who are also lost and in search of their own ‘happy ending’ - and true love - Snow White, Belle, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood. They arrive together at the hothouse where the sleeping Aurora waits. Breaking into the room, the Prince at once kisses her and she wakes up. The four suitors also awaken, and the Bluebird discovers the Songbird Fairy, who has been ensnared by Pina and Lucinda, and releases her from her cage. The four suitors are enraptured by the fairytale maidens and introduce themselves, escorting them from the room to leave Aurora with her own true love, the brave Prince who has restored her to life with his passionate kiss. As dawn breaks on the horizon, they dance together, falling deeply in love. A new age has begun.
ACT 3 - THE WEDDING RECEPTION
Scene 1 A HOTEL IN LONDON
The King and Queen have awoken to a very different world to the one they knew when the great sleep began. It is 1946 and they, like their royal relations, have been dispossessed of their former kingdoms after two world wars and a revolution, and are now living off their jewellery and effects in smart hotels throughout Europe. As they dress for their daughter’s wedding, the Lilac Fairy brings a visitor to see them; it is Carabosse, and she has come to apologise and beg forgiveness. Convinced of her contrition, the King and Queen invite her to join the festivities, their graciousness oiled by the fact that their daughter’s fate has turned out so happily. The fairy sisters are reunited and leave to join the party.
Scene 2 - THE RECEPTION
There is an atmosphere of anticipation at the wedding reception of Aurora and her Prince; the relief of a great challenge faced and overcome, mingled with an expectation of good things just around the corner. The celebrations kick into full swing and the guests relax and dance the night away. As the happy young couple leave for their honeymoon, the King and Queen experience that parental sadness at losing a beloved daughter, but find comfort in the knowledge that they have gained, perhaps, more than a new son, but also the promise of a completely new family.
CURTAIN/THE END