“The performance of Little Dancer was a semi-staged production with the orchestra seated at the back behind the actors and dancers (very similar to the staging of Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close at the Coliseum in 2016). Although there are no sets, the props and stage furniture (screens, ballet barres, tables, cocktail bar counter, sofas, easel, etc) are so plentiful and moved so efficiently (by actors not participating in the scene) that you don't notice there's no set until, well, the end. Indeed, compared to some sparse/drab productions of operas, plays, and musicals in London at the moment, it looks fully staged in comparison.
Tiler Peck lives up to every expectation and more, dancing like a dream as young Marie and acting up a storm. She had a wonderful rapport with her co-stars despite their limited time rehearsing and performing together. Veteran West End musical theatre stars (a few Olivier Award nominees among them) Julian Ovenden (as Edgar Degas), Laura Pitt-Pulford (as older Marie), Debbie Kurup (as Degas' friend and fellow artist Mary Cassatt) Imogen Amos (as Marie's younger sister Charlotte), Josefina Gabrielle (as Marie's mother), David Albury (as violinist Christian, Marie's love), and Imogen Bailey (as Antoinette, Marie's older sister), were standouts in their scenes as well. There is not a single weak link in the cast.
The story is fictional, although based on real-life people such as Degas, Cassatt, and Marie van Goethem (the real-life dance student and later Paris Opera Ballet dancer who posed for Degas' famous Little Dancer, 14 Years Old sculpture and other artworks). Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens have written a beautifully moving and well-paced musical that moves along briskly (it was 1h 45 min with no interval) with no dull moments, and some beautiful songs for the featured characters. Stroman directs and choreographs beautiful numbers for Tiler Peck, who is onstage and dancing for an incredible length of time (quite extraordinary reserves of stamina!) compared to many full-length ballets.
There's a fine balance of comedy, pathos, and romance/lyricism, a Stroman signature seen in her award-winning musicals as well. Unlike some other recent plays or musicals I've seen, there were no longeurs that were hard work to sit through. There is a moving "real life meets fictional plot" moment at the end where during the curtain calls, the sculpture of Marie is brought out behind the performers, and after Ovenden presents his leading ladies Peck and Pitt-Pulford with a bouquet of white roses each, the two women, once the rest of the cast have left, lay their bouquets at the feet of the statue as Ovenden watches on, for spunky and resilient little Marie who (in the story) dreamed of "being famous and being presented with s bouquet of white roses after the performance".
Kudos also to the ensemble of Derek Aidoo, Adam Crossley, Sebastian Goffin, Josie Harbertson, Jacob Hughes, Britt Lenting, Nell Martin, Gabriel Rodriguez, Holly Saw, Lowri Shone, Jessica Templeton, Rohan Tickell, Gabriella Tooma, Jack Wilcox, Marie Ruggiero, Simi Jolaoso and Ying Ue Li, who gave strong performances in roles big or small, as well as their excellent orchestra and conductor.
It was wonderful to see that the auditorium was sold out and packed; even their souvenir programmes also sold out early (I had to get the cast list off the What's On Stage website.)
A resounding 5 stars out of 5 (I would give it 6 out of 5 if I could)! My friend, who isn't a fan of ballet or even Degas, found it a compelling watch and enjoyed it too. If this were to come to the West End again for another performance or a limited run (like those in Washington and Seattle), I would happily get tickets to see it again.”