The Prince of the Pagodas (The Lyric, Plymouth)

Fur coats come to mind, but better watch my idioms, so let’s stick with "all style and no substance".

The Prince of the Pagodas has been a perennial problem for choreographers, and sadly David Bintley joins the roll call of greats (Cranko, MacMillan) who have tried and failed to raise the popularity of Benjamin Britten‘s only full-length ballet.

Bintley’s 2011 version reworks the story, transposing it to Japan, with the evil sister replaced by a more palatable and understandable wicked stepmother, while the Salamander Prince is a long-lost brother rather than an alternative suitor. The fairy story has no depth and no heart so it is, disappointingly, difficult to become engaged.

That said, designer Rae Smith (War Horse, Royal Court) has created fabulous costumes and intricate sets for the Birmingham Royal Ballet production currently on tour, making the spectacle superb.

Rippling pastel silk, hirsute camp turtles, kimonos aplenty, Uncle Sam satins, beacon-eyed underworld teletubbies, glowing flames, frothy clouds and foaming sea, and so much more make the piece a colourful display.

The dancers are tremendous – particularly given Britten’s strident score and awkward count – with the myriad showcase male solos magnificent, with gravity-defying Tyrone Singleton (King of the South), whirling deverish Mathias Dingman (King of the North) and super-slinky, one-to-watch, quick-change artiste Joseph Caley (the Salamander Prince) of particular note.

Tzu-Chao Chou is fun and feisty as the Court Fool, Elisha Willis excellent as evil Empress Epine while tiny Momoko Hirata dances the princess with heart-breaking fragility. (And great credit to Hirata and Caley, who successfully manage to keep their pas de deux asexual but convincing.)

All good stuff, but overall it just didn’t touch my soul despite the obvious skill and spectacle. A shame.

– Karen Bussell