Article: Dance: Leaping beauty let down by sleeping partner ROYAL BALLET THE SLEEPING BEAUTY LONDON COLISEUM

IF MARIA Bjornson's designs for The Sleeping Beauty were to work anywhere it would be the deep, wide stage of the London Coliseum. But they still looked terrible. The queasy perspectives offended the geometry of Petipa's choreography, the sickly, My Little Pony colour scheme (parma violet and toothpowder pink) was still nauseating, and the unflattering costumes (most of which look like lampshades from a tart's boudoir) were an enduring blight on the proceedings. But it all cost pounds 800,000, so it is not going to go away.

Is it just critics who hate it? The show was sold out months ago, and the crowd seemed cheerful enough. But they were there to catch the star pairing of Darcey Bussell ...

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