Review: LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE, Royal Ballet And Opera

Marianela Núñez said of La Fille mal gardée during a rehearsal that it was just what this heavy world needed right now. The much loved Frederick Ashton classic has not been seen on the Covent Garden stage since 2016, we needed it back then and we certainly need it more than ever now.

For those not yet acquainted, Fille is the story of a widow’s daughter (Lise), who is in love with a young farmer (Colas), but who is being lined up to marry the son of the local wealthy landowner. A rural tale full of farmhands, maypoles and dancing chickens, it is a very silly ballet and all the better for it. With its (real) pony, doddering widow and handsome pastel shades you might think it a little twee but once you’ve been charmed by that ribbon pas de deux in Act I, you can switch off your brain and enjoy its whimsical wonder. 

Opening night sees the return of the superlative pairing of Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov as Lise and Colas, and you will rarely see a couple radiate much joy from a single step or gesture as these two. Ashton’s choreography is challenging enough, the anxiety-inducing pas du ruban offers up so much that could go wrong, but in such capable hands you know it won’t.

The spiralling chaîné turns, the pink ribbon twisted around their torso, the push and pulls while she remains en pointe, and then with not much more than some twists and dips, they create a cat's cradle pattern with the ribbon between them. It receives a dreamy sigh before the audience rightly applauds. As well as enjoying themselves, they clearly adore dancing together as they breeze through all the choreographic demands.

Beyond the central couple, Fille holds wide appeal too, with plenty for adults and children to enjoy without ever feeling infantile. Daichi Ikarashi, certainly a talent to watch, manages to pack in a lot of attitude as the charismatic cockerel, in charge of his attendant hens. There is also the unforgettable star turn from Oscar the white Shetland pony who makes the sincerest of cameos to deliver Lise and her mother to the harvest.

Opening night saw the rather heart-stopping moment of the cartwheel getting caught in the stage wing. Oscar tried to walk on like the pro he is but it took a second for the wheel to be freed before everything continued seamlessly. Lise and her mother reacting in character to all of it, naturally. 

The peril, if there is any in this wholesome tale, is very mild. The story develops as it emerges Lise’s mother, Widow Simone, played with pouty conviction by Thomas Whitehead, would prefer for her to marry the scampering oddball of Alain (Luca Acri). Acri has iron stamina, as he must, to deal with the endless jumping and bounding around, but his fleet-footed quality that means he is never heavy or laboured, just a hapless and harmless divertissement. Whitehead is experienced in the role of the widow but it still requires spontaneity and stage presence. The clog dance is a highlight of Act I, comic timing and musicality in perfect synchronicity make for very satisfying viewing. Later, there is a rainstorm forcing everyone to disperse, but even this has a cosy gentleness to it, as Alain goes soaring above the stage, riding his umbrella as a broomstick.

The eight dancers who play “Lise’s Friends” don’t have a light evening of work either, as they must engineer a lot of the big set pieces, manoeuvre the maypole, create intricate patterns with the ribbons and even dance in clogs (en pointe?!) in some cases. The likes of Annette Buvoli, Sae Maeda and Olivia Cowley show enough experience to cope admirably.

The action is tied up neatly in the rustic farmhouse setting of Act II. Everything moves along at a good romp, even if just occasionally the crowd scenes feel a little swollen with filler moments - there is plenty of harvesting, skipping and wholesome rural shenanigans to be had. It all depends on your tolerance for whimsy but the conclusion which sees the lovers and Simone each individually lifted above the head of their fellow farmhands is ultimate feelgood stuff. Fille remains balm for the soul, and with Nuñez and Muntagirov in faultless form, you might just feel a little lighter on your way home. 

La Fille mal gardée runs at the Royal Ballet and Opera until 9 June, 2026