WHO: Alabama River Region Ballet

WHAT: "Sleeping Beauty"

WHEN: Sunday, April 28th at 2:00pm

WHERE: The Davis Theater

251 Montgomery St. 

Montgomery, AL 36104

HOW: Click on Ticket Link Above

or Call (334) 356-5460

COST: $15-$35

DURATION: 1 hr 15 minutes

​

 

See one of the most famous ballets of all time performed live by the Alabama River Region Ballet and hear Tchaikovsky's greatest compositions as you enter a dreamland full of storybook magic and adventure. This iconic production, with its beautiful sets and costumes, will transport you to a world of beauty. Sleeping Beauty enchants the audience with a host of magical characters-from the beautiful Princess Aurora and and the valiant Prince Desire, to the ethereal woodland fairies, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, the Bluebird Princess, the comical White Cat and Puss in Boots, and many others. Don't miss your chance to be transported to a magical kingdom and see this beloved fairytale brought to life by the talented Alabama River Region Ballet.

​

We will also have a MEET THE CHARACTERS after the performance in which audience members can go up on stage and meet the dancers and take a photo with them as well as receive a goodie bag all for only $10 paid on site. 

​

 

Synopsis

​

Act I

Aurora has just turned sixteen.  The King and Queen arrive, accompanied by four princes, Princess Aurora’s suitors.  When the King hears of the crime of which the women are accused, he demands they be taken away to prison.  The women beg for forgiveness.  The Queen pleads on their behalf, and the King grants them mercy.  The villagers rejoice. Aurora enters, accompanied by her maids of honor.  She is introduced to the princes, who are struck by her beauty.  Aurora dances with them, and the King and Queen try to persuade her to choose one as her fiancé.

​

Suddenly, Aurora notices an old woman standing in the crowd, holding a spindle.  She takes the spindle from the woman and begins to dance with it coquettishly to win the admiration of her suitors, but her dance ends abruptly when the spindle pricks her finger. Aurora rushes about in fear, then collapses unconscious.  The King and Queen dash to her side.

​

The old woman throws off her cloak and reveals herself as the fairy Carabosse. She roars triumphantly that her curse has succeeded.  The four princes rush at her, but Carabosse disappears in a cloud of smoke.

​

At that moment, the Lilac Fairy appears to remind the desperate parents that their daughter is not dead but asleep, and that she is destined to sleep for one hundred years.

​

The sleeping princess is carried to the castle, accompanied by the King, the Queen and members of the court.  The Lilac Fairy casts a spell of sleep over the castle and all inside.  When the princess awakens, they will awaken with her, but till then an impenetrable forest will shield them.  The fairy’s pages gather around her, and she orders them to guard the castle so that no one disturbs the peace of those within.

​

ACT II

Scene 1. The Hunt

One hundred years have passed. Prince Desiré and his party are hunting in the forest. He enters a clearing with his companions and tutor Galifron. The hunters dance to amuse themselves. They shoot bows and arrows and play various games.

The prince is told that a bear has been trapped in a thicket, but he is feeling listless and orders the company to go on without him.

​

Scene 2. The Vision

Just as the hunt party has gone, the Lilac Fairy, who is also the Prince’s godmother, appears in the wood.  He bows before her. The fairy asks the Prince whether he loves any of the noble women in his court.  Sadly, he says he does not.  The fairy tells him of the beautiful and enchanting Aurora.  She waves her staff and reveals the princess, asleep in the castle.  She waves her staff again, and Aurora appears.

​

Prince Désiré is overwhelmed and entranced.  He pursues Aurora, but each time she evades him. He wishes to embrace her, but she slips away and finally disappears.

Madly in love with the vision of Aurora, the prince throws himself at the feet of the Lilac Fairy.  He asks her to take him to the castle, and they set off immediately.

​

Scene 3. The Awakening

Prince Desiré and the Lilac Fairy enter the castle chamber.  The Prince tries to wake the King, the Queen and their sleeping court, but he only succeeds in stirring up clouds of dust.  Finally, Prince Desiré sees the sleeping Aurora.  He rushes to her and kisses her.

Carabosse’s spell is broken.  Princess Aurora awakens, and with her, the rest of the court.  The dust and cobwebs vanish, and the room is awash in light.  The Prince implores the King to let him marry the Princess.  The King agrees most happily and joins their hands in union.

​

The Wedding

The court assembles for the wedding of Princess Aurora and Prince Desiré.  The invited guests include many fairy tale characters— Puss-in-Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Bluebird Princess, among others— who present their stories as gifts to the royal couple.  Also present is the Lilac Fairy.

After all these guests have paid their respects to the bride and bridegroom, Aurora and Desiré dance a grand pas de deux.  The whole assembly joins in a dance in their honor, and the kingdom rejoices.