Arrived at Westfield Sydney at 5pm, dropped by the Nespresso Boutique then went up to Level 5 to meet with everyone. While everyone started with dinner, I was the only who made a quick run to Via del Corso for some Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter macarons and a cup of long black. On night outs such as these, I can't skip my afternoon tea as I need it to stay awake til at least 12 midnight. I rarely need coffee in the mornings because I'm a morning person but it's in the afternoon that I need a little caffeine kick to sustain whatever energy I may have during the day til evening.
While I was savouring my macarons and coffee, the Husband started bringing dinner to our table. He had his favourite American Hautedog and Chips from Snag Stand and then a little later, He brought me my Breaded Chicken and Fried Egg Rice from Din Tai Fung.
We had an hour and a half to catch up but it felt like minutes. Ang dami talagang kwento!!! Kulang ang oras. And to think that we all talk fast! LOL. But we're grateful nonetheless. At least sa maliit na paraan, naisingit ang pagkikita kahit sandali lang.
We marveled at the exquisite beauty of State Theatre when we arrived at a few minutes to 8. It was overwhelming to see exquisite details of their ceilings, walls, chandeliers and statues adorned in every corner. The theatre was old but well-maintained.
According to our friend Pen, Sleeping Beauty is one of the most watched ballets in history. The music was written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the original scenario was conceived by Ivan Vsevolozhsky and the choreographer of the original production was Marius Petipa {source}. The show had three acts and lasted almost three hours.
While some parts were a bit dragging and may have induced a few yawns (hello, classical music! nakakahele kaya! and I think that is still a compliment haha), over-all it was entertaining. The production was simple but the costumes and tutus of the ballerinas were very colourful. We were a bit disappointed that there wasn't a real orchestra especially that the sound system of State Theatre seemed ancient (and at one point it stopped! que horror!). The dancers moved gracefully and I swear I looked closely if they'd missed a beat or make a mistake, especially in unified acts, and they didn't (if they did, I was probably busy yawning). The Prima Ballerina who played Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) was an enchanting presence on stage. She illuminates! Another character that I fancied was the man who played Blue Bird (he was dressed in blue and according to the program he was a bird). He was really fantastic.
I have such high respect for ballet dancers and every time I see them dance perfectly, I know that for every step and position, it took them hours of practice and huge amounts of discipline to get it right. Sleeping Beauty may not be a perfect production but I commend them for giving us a good show on Friday night.
To watch a ballet production such as Sleeping Beauty is quite an honour because the show has been running since 1890. I'm glad I had a chance to watch it with friends and appreciate the art of ballet even more.
The Sleeping Beauty production ran in Sydney for only four days from 30 August to 2 September and it was directed by Evgeny Amosov.
