Sheffield theatre to see latest Northern Ballet show

Northern Ballet is to bring history's most notorious lover to life with its new ballet Casanova, which will tour to Sheffield next year.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th May 2016, 14:59 BST
Updated 26th May 2016, 15:08 BST
Northern Ballet, whose last show, Jane Eyre, premiered in DioncasterNorthern Ballet, whose last show, Jane Eyre, premiered in Dioncaster
Northern Ballet, whose last show, Jane Eyre, premiered in Dioncaster

The internationally-acclaimed Leeds-based company will transport audiences to decadent 18th-century Venice, telling the sensational story of the infamous Italian adventurer in a seductive masquerade of passion and politics.

Commissioned by artistic director David Nixon,Casanova will be the first full-length ballet by award-winning choreographer Kenneth Tindall. Its world première will take place at Leeds Grand Theatre on March 11, 2017 before touring to seven UK venues next spring, including the Lyceum in Sheffield.

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The fiercely intellectual Giacomo Casanova leads a controversial life consumed by his desires. He dabbles in careers as a scam artist, violinist, alchemist, spy and church cleric but with a penchant for gambling and women, his exploits lead him into a whirlwind of scandal and excess leading to imprisonment and exile.

A true story so sensational you won’t believe it’s real - showing Casanova is so much more than the infamous lover we know.

Kenneth Tindall was most recently nominated for Best Classical Choreography and the Emerging Artist Award at the 2015 National Dance Awards.

With an acclaimed creative team, Kenneth will co-create the scenario with actor, dramatist and historical biographer Ian Kelly, author of the 2008 Sunday Times Biography of the Year, Casanova.

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The production will be set to an original score by modern classical, film and television composer Kerry Muzzey. Sets and costumes will be designed by Tony and Olivier award-winning Christopher Oram, whose recent credits includeThe Winter’s Tale for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company at the Garrick Theatre in London.

Kenneth said: "I am thrilled that my first full-length ballet will be with Northern Ballet, a company that holds a special place for me. Casanova lived a life far richer and stranger than most fictions and the physicality, theatricality and energy of his exploits make him a perfect subject for the stage."

David Nixon said: "I am delighted to give Kenneth the opportunity to create his first full-length ballet with the company where he spent the majority of his performing career and where he first began to choreograph.

"Casanova’s story is one of sex, romance, intrigue and scandal and I am looking forward to surprising our audiences and challenging the idea of Casanova as nothing more than a prolific lover."

Seenorthernballet.com/casanova for tour details.