Upstairs and downstairs, in the main house and in the smaller Linbury theatre, the Royal Ballet is exploring what narrative dance can do. Upstairs is having a rather better time of it. Cathy Marston’s The Cellist, created in 2020 and inspired by the tragic life of cellist Jacqueline du Pré, whose glorious talent was snuffed out by multiple sclerosis, blazes back to the stage, partly because of its central performance. Lauren Cuthbertson, returning from a second maternity leave, dances with astonishing freedom, filling the character both with the glory of her music-making and the unbearable sadness of her silence.
Marston’s cleverness, though, is to make the cello the heart of the story – and embody it in dance form. Marcelino Sambé’s lyricism makes the steps speak; he seems to stretch every muscle as he reaches towards Cuthbertson, shaping his arms in response to her movement, lifting her high in a musical embrace. As Du Pré’s husband, Daniel Barenboim, Matthew Ball can barely break them apart, but the thrill of their mutual music-making is also beautifully caught.
