Northern Ballet’s new full-length ballet – Gentleman Jack – is captivating audiences as part of a nationwide tour. Continuing Northern Ballet’s masterful canon of creating stories that connect, this groundbreaking ballet brings to the stage the life of the 19th century icon, Anne Lister.
Yorkshirewoman Anne, described by some as the “first modern lesbian”, lived, dressed and loved as she desired, not as 19th century society expected her to. Her diaries were discovered and decoded after her death, revealing a bold, passionate, independent, well-travelled businesswoman who defied societal norms and loved as fiercely as she lived.
Choreographed by the multi-award-winning Annabelle Lopez Ochoa with Dance Artist and singer/songwriter Jemima Brown (Choreography Consultant) as part of a majority female artistic team that also includes Sally Wainwright (series-writer of the BBC/HBO TV series Gentleman Jack), the ballet is performed to new, live music composed by Peter Salem.
Review by Stephen Gilchrist
Almost two years ago to the day, I was at Sadlers Wells, applauding Scottish Ballet’s 2012 narrative ballet, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ which was choregraphed and composed by the same creative team who have now given us Northern Ballet’s first class ‘Gentleman Jack’. I wrote then of the excellence of the diversity both in the choreography of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and the music by Peter Salem. I am delighted to say that this team, together with the delicious set design and costuming in lush but muted colours, by Christopher Ash, have repeated their success, in the words of Cole Poter’s ‘High Society’, with a full length dance piece which is both ‘swellegant and elegant’.
Those who saw the historical drama television series of the same name, created by Sally Wainwright (who is billed as ‘creative consultant to this production) will be familiar with the story which is based on Anne Lister’s collected diaries—which run to an estimated 5 million words with about a sixth in secret code, documenting a lifetime of sapphic relationships. Anne Lister dressed in a distinctly masculine and dandyish style, favouring an almost entirely all-black wardrobe that mirrored men’s fashion of the 19th century. In the 1830s Lister was an assertive woman fiercely competing with men amidst the industrial revolution, and unafraid to display her unique persona. In this showing Anne’s extravagant diarism, her sometime conflicted relationship with her family and social peers, and her sensuous relationships with two lovers produces a fully formed character.
The ballet, as with ‘Streetcar’, has a clear and comprehensible narrative line in Clare Croft’s dramaturg. And amidst Jack’s swirling tailcoat with emerald green lining, Gemma Coutts as Jack, stylishly handles her cane, her hand sliding across the brim of her top hat, Fosse-like, and presents a powerful, pleasure-seeking and at times vulnerable woman trying to face off early Victorian taboos. She is a superb dancer and backed by a twenty one strong ensemble, thrills us with some sharp and clean grand jetés , and changements.
Saeka Shirai as Marianna, and Rachel Gillespie as Anne Walker (both Lister s lovers) deliver voluptuous and desirable partners for Jack, and the choreographer expertly deals with the potential issue of pas de deux for two women with obvious limitations on lifts. The pairings are entangled aesthetically, romantically and sometimes hedonistically, always effective and affecting.
This is a production which is directed and presented with class. The gorgeous ensemble costuming, sometimes in Ascot Grey, sometimes representing Anne’s words are set against excellent videography and theatrical effects and lighting. The music, as I have said is diverse. It is always interesting with occasional tinges of minimalism, atonality, jazz, and discordancy as situations turn to conflict and pathos. Under Daniel Parkinson’s baton the orchestra played like good’uns..
Gentleman Jack demonstrates the ability of dance to tell powerful, passionate stories with clarity and panache and which parades a proud, iconic personality who, in a contemporary context would be saying (or singing!) ‘I am What I Am’. A stunning evening in the theatre.
Anne Lister: Gemma Coutt
Mariana Lawton: Saeka Shirai
Ann Walker: Rachael Gillespie
Christopher Rawson: George Liang
Rawson’s Wife: Alessandra Bramante
Charles Lawton: Jackson Dwyer
Aunt (Anne Lister): Heather Lehan
Uncle (James Lister): Albert González Orts
Sister (Marian Lister): Harriet Marden
Businessmen, Upper Class Men, Words, Miners and Servants: Jonathan Hanks, Miguel Teixeira, Andrew Tomlinson, Jun Ishii, Bruno Serraclara, Stefano Varalta, Harry Skoupas, Filippo DiVilio, Harris Beattie, Archie Sherman, Noah Benzie-Drayton
Paris Women, Upper Class Women, Words, Miners and Servants: Sarah Chun, Sena Kitano, Alessia Petrosino, Nida Aydınoğlu, Eliza Hickey, Julie Nunès, Kaho Masumoto, Helen Bogatch, Kirica Takahashi, Alessandra Bramante
Conductor: Daniel Parkinson
