Britain’s lesbian Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has turned the fairytale Rapunzel into a ballet which will tour in the UK from October
A ballet written by Britain’s lesbian Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is to go on tour in the UK from October.
Commissioned by London dance house Sadler’s Wells and choreographed by Liv Lorent, the retelling of Rapunzel will be Duffy’s first foray into dance having previously written for the stage, and promises to take the fairytale back to its dark roots.
The ballet will be performed in stark contrast to Disney Pixar’s offering, Tangled released in 2010.
It will feature actress Lesley Sharp as the narrator as well as a cast of young dancers and professional dancers yet to be confirmed.
In an interview with BBC News, Duffy said: ‘Fairy tales are both strange and familiar, frightening and reassuring, and provide a map of childhood which we can still use as adults to remember who we are.
‘Their re-telling and reinterpretation is part of the lifeblood of literature.’
Duffy is well known for her reinterpretation of folklore tales having released a critically acclaimed take on the wives of prominent male figures in history, The World’s Wife in 1999.
Rapunzel is to premiere at the Durham Book Festival in October, and will then visit Hull and Newcastle before arriving at Sadler’s Wells in London in March.
by Stephen Davy-Osborne
Source – Gay Star News
