Music: Ludwig Minkus, Hans Vercauteren

Writer: Miguel De Cervantes

Choreographer: Carlos Acosta, Marius Petipa

Conductor: Thomas Jung

While it might not be one you’re familiar with, if you’re looking for a classic ballet, Don Quixote turns out to be one that will absolutely deliver. There are vast ensemble scenes, plenty of en pointe and tutus, and more solos and duets than you can count. Carlos Acosta, never one to shy away from tradition, has created a wonderfully rich and opulent production.

Poor old Sancho Panza (Alfie-Lee Hall) has a lot to put up with. His master, Don Quixote (Dominic Antonucci), has been reading too many tales of brave knights and deludedly thinks he’s one of them. Nothing can stop him from heading out to find the woman of his dreams, Dulcinea.

Meanwhile, in a sunny Spanish square, two young people – Kitri (Beatrice Parma) and Basilio (Enrique Bejarano Vidal) – are falling in love, much to the annoyance of Kitri’s father (Rory Mackay), who has his eye on a more lucrative match with foppish nobleman, Gamache. The arrival of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza creates something of a stir, especially as Quixote is rather taken with Kitri, believing her to be Dulcinea. Despite three men competing for her attention, Kitri knows what she wants, and she and Basilio run away, pursued by the others, and, while hanging out with a band of gypsies, Don Quixote has a bit of a turn, mistaking a windmill for a monster. Exhausted from trying to fight it, he falls into a dream-filled sleep where he finds himself in a magic garden. Back home at a local tavern, Kitri and Basilio manage to convince her dad, aided by Don Quixote, to let them marry, and celebrations ensue while Don Quixote heads off to perform more deeds of chivalry.

Acosta’s production is full of joy, comedy and ambition. Everything is big. The company, the stage, the vast, and incredibly evocative sets (Tim Hatley) and the orchestra (Royal Ballet Sinfonia). The dream scene (Act 2, Scene 2) is a gloriously impressive visual feast (there were actual gasps from the audience as the curtain went up on it) – a host of white tutu-clad dancers bathed in golden light against the boughs of a huge shimmering tree. It’s a far cry from the earlier scene where Don Quixote’s demons arrive as sinister swirling black figures. The production also celebrates all things Spanish, from the Mediterranean sunshine (lighting by Peter Mumford) to Hatley’s vibrant costumes, and the choreography draws on Romany folk dance, flamenco, and bullfighting. A group of matadors, led by Lachlan Monaghan, are central to the corps de ballet ensemble scenes, mesmerising in their colourful silks and swirling capes.

While the episodic nature of the ballet (lots of short set pieces), along with two long intervals, results in a somewhat fragmented production, there are many moments of exquisite theatre here, when everything comes together to create something really captivating. Beatrice Parma and Enrique Bejarano Vidal are an incredible pair of principal dancers, and their duets are particularly wonderful, especially in the final scene. There’s plenty of humour in the production too: Hall plays Sancho Panza, the long-suffering servant who never seems to get a break with a deft comic touch. Not only does he have to put up with Don Quixote’s crazy schemes, but he’s also teased by total strangers whenever the pair arrive anywhere.

Don Quixote would be an ideal production for a ballet novice, with its grand spectacle and simple, comic storyline, but it will also appeal to long-time lovers of classic ballet, and anyone looking for a bit of escapist magic.

Runs until 7th March 2026

The Reviews Hub Star Rating

90%

magical, ambitious, great spectacle