When Carlos Acosta staged his Classical Farewell in 2016, he said it was the last time he’d be donning his ballet tights. But like many performing icons, Acosta’s never really said goodbye and the tights are out again for a feelgood 50th birthday gala season.
Fifty may be long past a dancer’s average retirement age (although he’s not the only one still pirouetting, see: Alessandra Ferri) and Acosta’s never going to be the dancer he was 20 years ago – the bounce goes, the height of the arabesque – but you still want to watch him. Certainly the packed Opera House does, cheering in an un-English manner as the curtain rises to reveal a trim Acosta centre stage, dressed as the god Apollo.
The Cuban has charisma in spades, and grace and graciousness. The trick in a show like this is to lean on what you can still do well, and reveal facets of a role we might not have noticed before. Apollo was a signature of Acosta’s in his heyday, George Balanchine’s young god ascending to Olympus. Acosta dances with care, specificity and dramatic flair. Unlike some portrayals that begin with Bambi-like naivety, Acosta can no longer play the ingenue; his Apollo already has authority, but this time, perhaps, is thinking about how to use it. It’s a portrayal of patriarchy Ryan Gosling’s Ken would love: charmed man born into power, plays with the muses (“Come hither! Begone!”), but these women are serene and self-possessed, especially Céline Gittens’ spritely Polyhymnia, delightful in precision and personality.
