Birmingham Royal Ballet

3 / 5 stars
Coliseum, London
Still Life at the Penguin Cafe
Bravura appeal ... Still Life at the Penguin Cafe. Photograph: Bill Cooper/PR

In the two decades since David Bintley choreographed 'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe, the ballet's underlying environmental message has come into urgent focus. However, the choreography looks less sharp. There is no denying the bravura appeal of this ballet, which is essentially a danced cabaret, performed by a vivid cast of endangered species. Part human, part animal (the Longhorned Ram is a showgirl in a horned mask), these creatures defiantly strut their most brilliant colours before retreating into a modern-day ark. Some of Bintley's choreography is a fleet and funny response to Simon Jeffes's exuberantly coloured score. But while the entire work is well danced and deeply felt, too many numbers are repetitive, imitative variants on Broadway dance motifs, coasting on the surface of the music, rather than engaging with it in any detail.

The contrast with Balanchine's structurally and emotionally layered Serenade is stark. And even though BRB take the choreography at a stolid pace, the ballet's pulse races when Momoko Hirata is on stage. Physically tiny, she still hurtles a radiant path through the ballet - dancing as if her soul depended on it.

The middle work is a revival of Ashton's delicate and difficult Enigma Variations. What other ballet can make you weep over a trio of middle-aged friends communicating love, sympathy, and uncertain hope? But aside from intelligent performances by Robert Parker and Nao Sakuma, too many of the characters come across as stiffs or eccentrics. Full marks to BRB for keeping Enigma in the rep, but without better coaching, they can't quite make a case for its greatness.