NEW Adventures' gothic modernisation of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty is probably the best thing I have seen on stage in a very long time.

While this seems like strong praise, it is well justified. With an engrossing take on a classic story, a wildly lavish set and the wonderful, iconic score from Tchaikovsky (which many will recognise from the Disney film) it has everything needed to entertain theatregoers.

This retelling of the story, however, sticks to more classical influences, including Perrault’s 1697 original, the Brothers Grimm’s story “Little Briar Rose”, and the legendary Tchaikovsky and Petipa ballet from 1890. 

But the liberties taken by Matthew Bourne in creating this update this story its own, adding a twist to the story about a girl cursed to sleep for 100 years by moving the story away from the traditional medieval setting, to the late Victorian and early Edwardian setting, before fast forwarding to present day.

The performance throughout was beautiful with the enchantment one would expect from a fairy tale, but intertwined with occasional moments of humour, including the wonderfully expressive puppeteering of the infant princess causing havoc for the palace staff in the first act.

The cast worked in near perfect unison throughout the show, with a number of storytelling moments occurring at once, keeping your eyes darting across the stage, to soak in the detail.

A captivatingly beautiful performance was delivered by the show’s lead Ashley Shaw in her portrayal as Princess Aurora, both in her youthful innocence, as well as her haunting decent into her century long sleep.

A commanding dual performance was also delivered by Adam Maskell as the shows two villains Caradoc and Carabosse, who created a villainous presence on stage event when the characters were not in focus, mirrored excellently in Christopher Marney’s Count Lilac, as the force of good.

The staging for this show is one of the best I have ever seen at the Hippodrome. I was amazed at how easily the production move between such grand scenery, including a midnight forest, an incredible gateway leading to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, and what I can really only describe as an evil magic nightclub.

While the show uses a great recorded soundtrack, the show’s only pitfall is the lack of a full orchestra, which is needed to truly deliver the incredible music. This is understandable however due to the constraints the show will face visiting different theatres on tour.

A jaw-droppingly spectacular show, visually beautiful and exciting. I would recommend Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty for anyone interested in theatre, not just ballet.